Eranos: An Alternative Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century

457 Pages·2013·6.65 MB·English

by  Hans Thomas Hakl

Th omas Hakl has given us here the defi nitive study of Eranos and, in the proc-
ess, has sharpened and deepened our understanding of the history of the study
of religion. A magnum opus fully deserving the name and certain to change the
conversation. Jeff rey J. Kripal, Rice University, USA
Any complete history of Eranos must convey a sense of its inner meaning as well
as adhere to high standards of scholarly documentation. Th omas Hakl’s revised
and newly translated study more than meets both of these criteria. In discussing
the many personalities, controversies, and themes which have fi gured in its history
he adds immeasurably to the literature about this important incubator for a new
global humanism.
Jay Sherry, author of Carl Gustav Jung, Avant-garde Conservative
Every year since 1933 many of the world’s leading intellectuals have met on Lake
Maggiore to discuss the latest developments in philosophy, history, art and science and,
in particular, to explore the mystical and symbolic in religion. Th e Eranos Meetings –
named aft er the Greek word for a banquet where the guests bring the food – constitute
one of the most important gatherings of scholars in the twentieth century.
Eranos presents a set of portraits of some of the century’s most infl uential thinkers,
all participants at Eranos: Carl Jung, Erich Neumann, Mircea Eliade, Martin Buber,
Walter Otto, Paul Tillich, Gershom Scholem, Herbert Read, Joseph Campbell, Erwin
Schrödinger, Karl Keréyni, D. T. Suzuki, and Adolph Portmann. Th e volume presents
a critical appraisal of the views of these men and how the exchange of ideas encour-
aged by Eranos infl uenced each, and examines the attraction of these esotericists towards
authoritarian politics.
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ERANOS
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Eranos
An Alternative Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century
Hans Th omas Hakl
Translated by Christopher McIntosh
with the collaboration of Hereward Tilton
RO Routledge
U
TLEDG Taylor & Francis Group
E
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2013 by Equinox, an imprint of Acumen

Published 2014 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© Hans Th omas Hakl 2013; translation Christopher McIntosh
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.

Notices
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of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors,
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products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.
ISBN 978-1-84553-115-7 (hardback)
ISBN 978-1-78179-016-8 (paperback)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hakl, Hans Th omas.
[Verborgene Geist von Eranos. English]
Eranos : an alternative intellectual history of the twentieth century / Hans Th omas Hakl ; trans-
lated by Christopher McIntosh with the collaboration of Hereward Tilton. -- English (rev. and
expanded) ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-1-84553-115-7 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-78179-016-8 (pbk.)
1. Psychology and religion--History--20th century. 2. Occultism--History--20th century. 3.
Eranos Conference--History. I. Title.
BF51.H2513 2012
200.1’9--dc23
2012027426
For my dear wife, Franziska
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Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: How Th is Book Emerged 1
1. Th e Signifi cance of Eranos 7
2. An Esoteric Prelude to Eranos 12
3. Yearning for the East: Monte Verità and the School of Wisdom 33
4. Toward Eranos 43
5. Th e First Eranos Meeting: An Idea Comes to Life 54
6. Eranos and National Socialism 69
7. Th e Years 1934–37 90
8. Eranos 1938: Th e United States Shows Interest 109
9. Th e War Years 122
10. New Prospects aft er the World Confl ict 138
11. Th e Heyday Begins 154
12. Th e Early 1950s 169
13. Polytheism Versus Monotheism 225
14. An End, Some New Beginnings, and Repeated Turbulence 242
15. Delicate Questions and Attempts to Answer Th em 257
16. Eranos as a Prototype 274
17. Th e End of a Cycle … or Perhaps Not 289
Notes 293
Bibliography 391
Index 427