The Problem of Disenchantment: Scientific Naturalism and Esoteric Discourse, 1900-1939

662 Pages·2018·73.544 MB·English

by  Egil Asprem

the problem of disenchantment
suny series in western esoteric traditions
David Appelbaum, editor
THE PROBLEM OF
DISENCHANTMENT
Scientific Naturalism
and Esoteric Discourse,
1900–1939
EGIL ASPREM
Cover art: Mike Crowle, Reclaimed by Nature, photograph
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2014 Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Asprem, Egil, author.
Title: The problem of disenchantment : scientific naturalism and esoteric
discourse, 1900-1939 / by Egil Asprem.
Description: Albany, NY : State University of New York, 2018. | Originally
published: Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2014. | Includes bibliographical references
and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017032617 | ISBN 9781438469928 (paperback : alk
paper) | 9781438469942 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Religion. | Science. | Occultism. Classification: LCC BF1999
.A69 2018 | DDC 001.9--dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/201703261
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
A time will come when it will appear that the Egyptians paid
respect to divinity with faithful mind and painstaking rev-
erence—to no purpose. All their holy worship will be disap-
pointed and perish without effect, for divinity will return from
earth to heaven, and Egypt will be abandoned. [. . .] O Egypt,
Egypt, of your reverent deeds only stories will survive, and they
will be incredible to your children! Only words cut in stone will
survive to tell your faithful works [. . .]. For divinity goes back
to heaven, and all the people will die, deserted, as Egypt will be
widowed and deserted by god and human.
— asclepius, 24

CONTENTS
list of figures / ix
acknowledgments / xi
introduction The Limits of Reason / 1
part 1
From Process to Problem
chapter 1 From Process to Problem / 17
chapter 2 Science as Worldview / 49
part 2
New Natural Theologies
chapter 3 Brave New World: An Introduction to Part Two / 91
chapter 4 Physical Science in a Modern Mode / 99
chapter 5 The Meaning of Life: Mechanism and Purpose
in the Sciences of Life and Mind / 149
chapter 6 Five Schools of Natural Theology:
Reconciling Science and Religion / 199
part 3
Laboratories of Enchantment
chapter 7 Against Agnosticism: Psychical Research
and the Naturalisation of the Supernatural / 289
vii
viii / contents
chapter 8 Laboratories of Enchantment:
Parapsychology in Search of a Paradigm / 317
chapter 9 Professionals Out of the Ordinary:
How Parapsychology Became a University Discipline / 375
part 4
Esoteric Epistemologies
chapter 10 Esoteric Epistemologies / 417
chapter 11 The Problems of a Gnostic Science:
The Case of Theosophy’s Occult Chemistry / 447
chapter 12 Perceiving Higher Worlds: Two Perspectives / 485
conclusion Implications for the Study of
Science, Religion, and Esotericism / 539
bibliography / 567
index of names / 623
index of subjects / 631
FIGURES
table 1.1 Three dimensions of the “disenchanted condition” / 35
table 2.1 Cartesian and Batesonian worldviews
according to Berman / 58
table 2.2 Naturalism—supernaturalism continuum / 76
table 2.3 The blind spot of disenchantment / 79
figure 4.1 Three levels of scientific interpretation / 134
figure 5.1 Mendel’s law of heredity / 187
figure 5.2 Evolutionary positions mapped onto three dimensions / 197
figure 6.1 Cosmic teleology in Samuel Alexander’s system / 238
table 7.1 Naturalization strategies in psychical research / 309
figure 8.1 Warcollier's interpretation of
the disturbed telepathic signal / 352
figure 9.1 Chain of discourses linking
psychical research with eugenics / 395
figure 11.1 Representations of non-visual entities in physics / 460
figure 11.2 “Occult” representations of hydrogen
on five levels of materiality / 465
figure 11.3 The ultimate physical atom / 473
ix