NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Esoteric

Esoteric is an adjective originating during Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: "within". It is a word meaning anything that is inner and occult, a latinate word meaning "hidden" (from which we get the term occlusion). The opposite of this is exoteric, from the Greek eksôterikos, from eksôtero, the comparative form of eksô: "outside". Plato (427-347 BC) uses in his dialogue Alcibíades (aprox. 390 BC) the expression ta esô meaning «the inner things», and in his dialogue Teeteto (aprox. 360 BC) he uses ta eksô meaning «the outside things». The probable first appearance of the adjective esôterikos is employed by Lucian of Samosata (aprox. AD 120-180) in his satiric work "The Auction of Lives", § 26 (also called "The Auction of the Philosophical Schools"), written around AD 166. [1] An adjective is a part of speech which modifies a noun, usually making its meaning more specific. ... Official Tourist Site HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network)/ comprehensive Greek news site Official Greek Statistics Site Ask for Greece/ A volunteer community for Q&As about Greece Greece Museums/ Museum directory of Greece Take a short virtual tour of Athens Take a long virtual tour of Athens Greece Webcam Radio... In grammar the comparative is the form of an adjective or adverb which denotes the degree or grade by which a person, thing, or other entity has a property or quality greater or less in extent than that of another. ... A term indicating that the state of something, which is normally open, is now totally closed. ... Exoteric knowledge is knowledge that is publicly available, in contrast with esoteric knowledge, which is kept from everyone except the initiated. ... Statue of a philosopher, presumably Plato, in Delphi. ... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC - 420s BC - 410s BC 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC Years: 432 BC 431 BC 430 BC 429 BC 428 BC - 427 BC - 426 BC 425 BC... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC - 340s BC - 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 352 BC 351 BC 350 BC 349 BC 348 BC 347 BC 346 BC 345 BC 344... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 395 BC 394 BC 393 BC 392 BC 391 BC - 390 BC - 389 BC 388 BC 387... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 410s BC 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 365 BC 364 BC 363 BC 362 BC 361 BC 360 BC 359 BC 358 BC 357... An adjective is a part of speech which modifies a noun, usually making its meaning more specific. ... Lucian of Samosata (c. ... For other uses, see number 120. ... For other uses, see number 180. ... Events Pope Soter succeeds Pope Anicetus Change of Patriarch of Constantinople from Patriarch Laurence to Patriarch Alypius Dacia invaded by barbarians Conflict erupts on the Danube frontier between Rome and the Germanic tribe of the Marcomanni Roman envoy sent out by emperor Antoninus Pius. ...

Esotericism (also sometimes written as «esoterism») is a word and concept created in the 19th century and it was first used as the noun substantive l’ésotérisme in the work Histoire critique du gnosticisme et de ses influences (1828) of Jacques Matter (1791-1864). Following this, it was the occultist and cabalist Eliphas Lévi (1810-1875) who made common the use of the terms «esotericism» and «occultism». Then the term became fashion, mainly after Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), and other personalities of the Theosophic Society using it through the last quarter of 19th century and through the beginning of the 20th century. Esotericism gives reference to anything private, specifically such things which are or were forced to be kept private, or in secret, due to fears of persecution or to the unhability to be understood and also of being misused by the outside world. Esotericism refers to knowledge suitable only for the advanced, privileged, or initiated, as opposed to exoteric knowledge, which is public. ... A noun, or noun substantive, is a word or phrase that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1791 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ... The tree of life. ... Eliphas LÃ©vi Eliphas LÃ©vi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, (February 8, 1810 - May 31, 1875) was a French author and magician. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Helena Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Hahn (also HÃ©lÃ¨ne) (July 31, 1831 (O.S.) (August 12, 1831 (N.S.)) - May 8, 1891 London, England), better known as Helena Blavatsky or Madame Blavatsky was the founder of Theosophy. ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Esoteric vs. Esotericism

The word esoteric generally relates to that which is known and accepted by a restricted number of people (contrast exoteric). The word esotericism (or esoterism) can, in a general sense, simply be any knowledge which is secret or confidential, or it can specifically refer to the knowledge of those that claim to have supernatural experiences. While these experiences typically are not validated by scientific experiments, scientific proof is not always necessary for belief. Esoteric experiences tend to be widely subjective and, thus, difficult to analyze and study in accordance with the scientific method. There exists some skepticism of these experiences due to this lack of empirical evidence and sufficient proof; however, among supporters of esotericism, it is believed that measurement of this phenomena simply exceeds current scientific capabilities. Esotericism is one of the subjects studied under such disciplines as parapsychology. Exoteric knowledge is knowledge that is publicly available, in contrast with esoteric knowledge, which is kept from everyone except the initiated. ... Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or to gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ...

Etymology

Esoteric vs. Esotericism

See also