Éditions Robert Laffont
Esotericism - Secret Doctrines and Initiations in the West
How to divert one's attention from esotericism? The human being never reaches a completed state: they build themselves, move forward tentatively, follow paths where, at certain moments, signs appear that speak to them. This is where both their greatness and their limits lie. Then comes the ultimate question: is there a secret of the world? Who could know it? And how to pass it on?
"Charlatanism!" retort the rationalists, sometimes joined by religious people. Yet magicians, theosophists, shamans, kabbalists, or alchemists testify to another interpretation of reality.
In the first part of this work, the author focuses on defining what esotericism encompasses. The second gathers the major texts of Western esotericism: some widely known, others presented here for the first time in translation.
Everyone knows the name Paracelsus, but how many have actually read him? Who knows that Newton left an alchemical work? Or that modern writers such as Artaud, Pessoa — and even Hergé — pushed their writing to the gates of mystery?
These pages offer paths. The rest of the journey belongs to the reader.
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Information & features
- Author: Pierre A. Riffard
- Publication date: January 2019
- Size: 13.3cm x 20cm
- Weight: 551g
- ISBN: 978-2-221-22164-8
- Version:
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This work explores the place of esotericism in the human journey and in the history of ideas. It starts from a simple observation: the human being moves forward without a final state, progresses through successive trials, and encounters, along the way, signs that challenge their perception of the world. These moments of questioning reveal both a capacity for elevation and a framework of limits. The book then raises a central question about the existence of a secret of the world, the possible ability to approach its knowledge, and the forms of transmission considered throughout the centuries.
A critical reflection in the face of opposing views
The text takes into account criticisms from rationalist currents and certain religious circles, which see esotericism as an illusion or an intellectual deviation. In response to these positions, the work makes room for other voices, carried by figures from magical, theosophical, shamanic, kabbalistic, or alchemical traditions. These testimonies outline a different reading of reality, based on experience, initiatory transmission, and a symbolic approach to the world. The discussion proceeds without controversy and establishes an open space for reflection, conducive to understanding divergences.
The foundations of Western esotericism
The structure of the book is based on two distinct parts. The first part focuses on defining the contours of Western esotericism, specifying its principles and forms of initiation. The second part gathers major texts from this tradition, including already recognized writings and others made accessible through translation. Together, they offer a structured journey through secret doctrines in the West, providing the reader with solid reference points to understand their origin, transmission, and place in European intellectual history.
Pierre A. Riffard is a French philosopher born in Toulouse on January 20, 1946. He is recognized for his work on esotericism, a discipline he studied through in-depth research and publications that have marked the field. He defended a philosophy thesis on the Greek formula ἓν καὶ πᾶν (“One and All”), then a State doctorate in letters on The Idea of Esotericism at the University Paris 1 Sorbonne in 1987 after research on occultism.
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