RELIGIOSITY OF ESOTERICISM, ESOTERICISM OF RELIGION: ON THE ISSUE OF CRITERIAL DIFFERENCES

The boundaries between religion and esotericism are conventional and mobile, not fixed. Using J.D. Frazer and B.K. Malinowski's criteria for distinguishing magic, the analysis examines institutional, doctrinal, epistemological, social, practical, and functional levels. Despite both appealing to the transcendental and searching for meaning, differences remain debated. The author identifies zones of interpenetration: the "religiosity of esotericism" and the internal esoteric component within traditional religions ("esotericism of religion"). A rigid opposition between the two phenomena should be abandoned in favor of considering historical dynamics and cultural context.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the problem of distinguishing between religion and esotericism. It uses the example of the differentiation of magic and the concepts proposed by J.D. Frazer and B.K. Malinowski (1925) as criteria for distinguishing these two phenomena. Despite obvious points of intersection, such as appeal to the transcendental and search for meaning, the differences between religion and esoterism remain a subject of debate. The purpose of this article is to identify and systematize key differentiating features on the institutional, doctrinal, epistemological, social, practical and functional levels. As a result, the author concludes about the conventional nature and mobility of the boundaries between religion and esotericism, identifying zones of their interpenetration (“religiosity of esotericism”) and the internal esoteric component within traditional religions (“esotericism of religion”). The conclusion is drawn about the need to abandon rigid opposition between these two phenomena, considering historical dynamics and cultural context.