"Religion" and "Science" within a Global Religious History
General Material Designation
[Article]
First Statement of Responsibility
Michael Bergunder
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Leiden
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Brill
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
The paper argues that the final forging of our current understanding of "religion" and "esotericism" did not take place before the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and that it was a global endeavor right from the beginning. Previous research has not fully appreciated the new situation that arose because of scientific materialism and the challenge presented by conceptions of a general religious history. By focusing on the relationship of "religion" and "science" within a global religious history (globale Religionsgeschichte) from the late nineteenth century till today, the paper shows how "religion" and "esotericism" can be understood as constitutive parts of the same global history. The paper argues that the final forging of our current understanding of "religion" and "esotericism" did not take place before the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and that it was a global endeavor right from the beginning. Previous research has not fully appreciated the new situation that arose because of scientific materialism and the challenge presented by conceptions of a general religious history. By focusing on the relationship of "religion" and "science" within a global religious history (globale Religionsgeschichte) from the late nineteenth century till today, the paper shows how "religion" and "esotericism" can be understood as constitutive parts of the same global history.