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==General==

==General==

Terms like Esotericism, New Age and Occultism embrace certain non-religious paths to insight and forms of action. They often emphasize the role of the individual, subjective and often out-of-the-ordinary experience, especially when it avoids rational communicability and intersubjective scrutiny. Esotericism embraces certain spiritual qualities of the individual which typically cannot be falsified scientifically. Nonetheless followers of esoteric beliefs occasionally claim scientific testability for certain aspects of their, leading to [[Pseudoscience|pseudo-scientific]] arguments. A conspicuous feature of Esotericism is the inconsiderate "borrowing" of words and concepts from other fields of knowledge, often that of natural sciences.

Terms like Esotericism, New Age and Occultism embrace certain non-religious paths to insight and forms of action. They often emphasize the role of the individual, subjective and often out-of-the-ordinary experience, especially when it avoids rational communicability and intersubjective scrutiny. Esotericism embraces certain spiritual qualities of the individual which typically cannot be falsified scientifically. Nonetheless followers of esoteric beliefs occasionally claim scientific testability for certain aspects, leading to [[Pseudoscience|pseudo-scientific]] arguments. A conspicuous feature of Esotericism is the inconsiderate "borrowing" of words and concepts from other fields of knowledge, often that of natural sciences.

A uniting element of many esoteric tenets is the claim of offering ultimate answers to the key questions of humanity. They assert to have knowledge of "higher powers", of past and future of mankind, and promises ascent to higher realms or higher forms of knowledge which are denied to the uninitiated.<ref>Heelas, Paul (1996): The New Age Movement. Oxford.</ref> This restriction of knowledge to insiders is the exact opposite of an important principle in science: Any good idea is accessible to all mankind, and not just to a circle of a chosen few.

A uniting element of many esoteric tenets is the claim of offering ultimate answers to key questions of humanity. They assert to have knowledge of "higher powers", of past and future of humankind, and promise ascent to higher realms or higher forms of knowledge which are denied to the uninitiated.<ref>Heelas, Paul (1996): The New Age Movement. Oxford.</ref> This restriction of knowledge to insiders is the exact opposite of an important principle in science: Any good idea is accessible to all humankind, and not just to a circle of a chosen few.

A part of the seductive power of Esotericism is initiated by narcissistic needs: Who wants to be a mere letter in the big book of evolution? A "nano-particle" in an inconceivable and infinite universe, if one can instead interpret one's own birth as having been inspired by cosmic fate and relevance. Worries about a fundamentally uncertain future call for a higher power which guides us. Another source of its appeal may be the complexity of the world which makes it hard to understand, and the fact that getting into the established sciences is tedious and complicated. Engagement in Esotericism can lead to the flattering impression of being able to understand and add meaning to everything.<ref>H. Uhlen: Vom ungläubigen Thomas lernen. Warum sich Wissenschaft und Religion nicht vertragen. K. Fischer, Aachen 2006, S.225</ref>

Part of the seductive power of Esotericism is initiated by narcissistic needs: Who wants to be a mere letter in the big book of evolution? A "nano-particle" in an inconceivable and infinite universe, if one can instead interpret one's own birth as having been inspired by cosmic fate and relevance. Worries about a fundamentally uncertain future call for a higher power which guides us. Another source of its appeal may be the complexity of the world which makes it hard to understand, and the fact that getting into the established sciences is tedious and complicated. Engagement in Esotericism can lead to the flattering impression of being able to understand and add meaning to everything.<ref>H. Uhlen: Vom ungläubigen Thomas lernen. Warum sich Wissenschaft und Religion nicht vertragen. K. Fischer, Aachen 2006, S.225</ref>

The human soul is often portrayed as eternal, the fate of each individual as predetermined. Esoteric practices and lores focus the craving for the mysterious which allegedly is veiled behind the mundane material world. Communication with other people, and even "higher beings" or the deceased is possible according to esoteric comprehension, requiring "channels" in addition to our five senses. Such phenomena present no logical problem to esoteric thinkers, since according to their understanding the known laws of nature are too restricted to explain the world.

The human soul is often portrayed as eternal, the fate of each individual as predetermined. Esoteric practices and lores focus the craving for the mysterious which allegedly is veiled behind the mundane material world. Communication with other people, and even "higher beings" or the deceased, is possible according to esoteric comprehension, requiring "channels" in addition to our five senses. Such phenomena present no logical problem to esoteric thinkers, since according to their understanding the known laws of nature are too restricted to explain the world.

All in all the esoteric scene shows a weak institutionalization.<ref>Knoblauch, Hubert (1989), Das unsichtbare neue Zeitalter. "New Age", privatisierte Religion und kultische Milieus, in: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie</ref>

All in all the esoteric scene shows a weak institutionalization.<ref>Knoblauch, Hubert (1989), Das unsichtbare neue Zeitalter. "New Age", privatisierte Religion und kultische Milieus, in: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie</ref>