5. Fear of Persecution: Defensive Esotericism

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents ix
3. Preface xi
4. Acknowledgments xvii
5. Introduction 1
6. Part One The General Evidence and Argument for the Reality of Philosophical Esotericism
7. 1. The Testimonial Evidence for Esotericism 11
8. 2. Interlude: Two Brief Examples 53
9. 3. The Theoretical Basis of Philosophical Esotericism: The “Problem of Theory and Praxis” 69
10. 4. Objections, Resistance, and Blindness to Esotericism 95
11. Part Two The Four Forms of Philosophical Esotericism
12. 5. Fear of Persecution: Defensive Esotericism 127
13. 6. Dangerous Truths: Protective Esotericism 161
14. 7. The Educational Benefits of Obscurity: Pedagogical Esotericism 205
15. 8. Rationalizing the World: Political Esotericism 235
16. Part Three The Consequences of the Recovery of Esotericism
17. 9. A Beginner’s Guide to Esoteric Reading 287
18. 10. Defending Reason: Esotericism and the Critique of Historicism 325
19. Notes 367
20. Bibliography 411
21. Index 431