Philosophical Perspectives on Esotericism From the 19th Century to the Present

• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2025
• Series: Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion
• Subjects: Alternative belief systems; Eclectic and esoteric religions and belief systems; Islamic and Arab philosophy; Olli Pitkänen;history of philosophy;philosophy of religion;esotericism;late modern philosophy;post-Kantian philosophy;mysticism;German idealism;German romanticism;Hegel;Schelling;Kabbalah;Gershom Scholem;Levinas;William James;Martin Heidegger;Henri Bergson;Roy Bhaskar;Islamic philosophy;Jewish philosophy;askesis;gnosis;occult philosophy;apophasis;religious mysticism;critical realism;theosophy;tsimtsum;Henry Corbin; Philosophical traditions and schools of thought; Philosophy; Philosophy and Religion; Philosophy of religion; QDHR5 Phenomenology and Existentialism; Religion and beliefs; Religion: general; Social groups, communities and identities; Social groups: religious groups and communities; Society and culture: general; Society and Social Sciences; thema EDItEUR; Western philosophy from c 1800
• ISBN: 9781003457046; 9781040265178; 1040265170; 9781032599762; 1032599766; 1003457045
• DOI: 10.4324/9781003457046

This volume offers the first systematic philosophical study of esotericism and late modern philosophy. It addresses fundamental philosophical questions related to esotericism and reveals that esoteric ideas have had decisive impact on countless important philosophers, even if this fact has been neglected in contemporary philosophy. The first part of the book is dedicated to substantial and methodological questions. What is philosophy, what is esotericism, and how should we think about their relationship? The second section is more historically oriented, and it is divided in two parts. Part I is concerned with German romanticism and idealism, with a specific focus on the influence of esotericism on Hegel and Schelling, as well as the connection between romanticism and Kabbalah in the work of Gershom Scholem. Part II explores esotericism in phenomenology, pragmatism, and post-idealism, specifically in the work of William James, Martin Heidegger, Henri Bergson, and Roy Bhaskar. Philosophical Perspectives on Esotericism will appeal to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of religion, history of philosophy, and religious studies.