Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age (Numen Book Series, 90)

The present study is not intended as a catalogue of the opinions of the various Esoteric positions. To discuss general or theoretical aspects of the Modern Esoteric Tradition without entering into the empirical specifics leaves the reader in a fog of abstractions; referring exhaustively to a vast corpus of source texts entails the risk of constructing a under-theorized descriptive study. In order to strike a balance between the descriptive and analytic goals of this study, the author resorted to using case studies from the consulted sources as exemplars. These particular cases are subjected to a symptomatic reading, a mode of interpretation that uses empirical data to highlight a broader point. Although the narrow focus and the chosen approach are, as in any other case, a compromise, at least it has the double advantage of extendability and falsifiability. "This volume deals with the transformation of religious creativity in the late modern West. Its point of departure is a set of esoteric beliefs, from Theosophy to the New Age. It shows how these traditions have adapted to the cultural givens of each successive epoch. The claims of each movement have been buttressed by drawing on various structural characteristics of late modernity. The advance of science has resulted in attempts to claim scientific status for religious beliefs. Globalization has given rise to massive loans from other cultures, but also to various strategies to radically reinterpret foreign elements. Individualism has led to an increasing reliance on experience as a source of legitimacy. The analytical tools applied to understanding religious modernization shed light on changes that are fundamentally reshaping many religious traditions." "Readership: All those interested in modern culture, intellectual history, the history of religions and theology, as well as an educated readership with an interest in esotericism and New Age thought."--Jacket. This volume deals with the transformation of religious creativity in the late modern West. Its point of departure is a set of esoteric beliefs, from Theosophy to the New Age. It shows how these traditions have adapted to the cultural givens of each successive epoch. The claims of each movement have been buttressed by drawing on various structural characteristics of late modernity. The advance of science has resulted in attempts to claim scientific status for religious beliefs. Globalization has given rise to massive loans from other cultures, but also to various strategies to radically reinterpret foreign elements. Individualism has led to an increasing reliance on experience as a source of legitimacy. The analytical tools applied to understanding religious modernization shed light on changes that are fundamentally reshaping many religious traditions. This publication has also been published in hardback, please click here for details. Annotation This volume deals with the transformation of religious creativity in the late modern West. Its point of departure is a set of esoteric beliefs, from Theosophy to the New Age. It shows how these traditions have adapted to the cultural givens of each successive epoch. The claims of each movement have been buttressed by drawing on various structural characteristics of late modernity. The advance of science has resulted in attempts to claim scientific status for religious beliefs. Globalization has given rise to massive loans from other cultures, but also to various strategies to radically reinterpret foreign elements. Individualism has led to an increasing reliance on experience as a source of legitimacy. The analytical tools applied to understanding religious modernization shed light on changes that are fundamentally reshaping many religious traditions The Historical Roots Of Caodaism -- The Establishment Of Caodaism -- Tay Ninh And The Chieu Minh Tam Thanh -- The Development Of Caodai Sectarianism -- Attempts At Reunification. By Victor L. Oliver ; Pref. By Pierre Rondot. Preface In French. Bibliography: P. [138]-145. This work deals with the transformation of religious creativity in the late modern West. Its point of departure is a set of esoteric beliefs, from Theosophy to the New Age. It shows how these traditions have adapted to the cultural givens of each successive epoch The Persistence of An Essay on Tantrism and Sri Aurobindo's Philosophy. with a Preface by M. Eliade