Philosophical Askesis as an Esoteric-Mystical Exercise
Marina Christodoulou
November 1, 2024 DOI: 10.4324/9781003457046-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Epistemology Psychoanalysis Theology |
| Key points | Argues that esotericism and classical philosophy share foundational principles of connection, aspiration, and questioning, and are not fundamentally opposed. |
Abstract
In this next chapter, three foundational principles are addressed that can be found both in esotericism and in classical philosophy: connection, aspiration, and questioning. Conceptions such as oneness, the Absolute, or simply God, have been foundational for philosophy and esotericism alike, and behind these conceptions there has been a similar ideal of connectedness. Both esotericism and philosophy have also emphasised aspiration, the cultivation of one’s strengths and a systematic attempt to overcome one’s weaknesses. Related to this, both idealise questioning; the truth is never ready at hand as divine revelation or as a scientific discovery, but it requires endless personal pursuit. The argument of the chapter is that, in essence, esotericism and philosophy are not fundamentally opposed to each other, and only in relatively recent philosophical practice that the classical philosophical ideals shared with esotericism have largely diminished.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |