Interesting! :) Researching this for a novel sounds fun.
I tend to agree that printing Schiller’s article was likely a publicity stunt. That said, the actual question of whether occultism was science or religion or a mix of both was a prominent source of debate in the late 19th century occult revival landscape, and the arguments pro and contra were numerous... which I guess says something about how heterogenous occultism really was, even if we think about it as a movement of sorts, now. Science, too, was also a more flexible realm of inquiry, so a good number of serious people spent time investigating phenomena and thinking about spirits—Marie Curie is a good example, but she’s by far not the only one.
Incidentally, I think we’re seeing quite a bit of echoing of this in the current moment with renewed scientific interest in contemplative practices, consciousness, etc., and what we could call the 21st century occult (magic? Animist? It’s a bit of a melange) revival.
Looking forward to seeing what else comes up in your research!
Interesting! :) Researching this for a novel sounds fun.
I tend to agree that printing Schiller’s article was likely a publicity stunt. That said, the actual question of whether occultism was science or religion or a mix of both was a prominent source of debate in the late 19th century occult revival landscape, and the arguments pro and contra were numerous... which I guess says something about how heterogenous occultism really was, even if we think about it as a movement of sorts, now. Science, too, was also a more flexible realm of inquiry, so a good number of serious people spent time investigating phenomena and thinking about spirits—Marie Curie is a good example, but she’s by far not the only one.
Incidentally, I think we’re seeing quite a bit of echoing of this in the current moment with renewed scientific interest in contemplative practices, consciousness, etc., and what we could call the 21st century occult (magic? Animist? It’s a bit of a melange) revival.
Looking forward to seeing what else comes up in your research!
Thanks for reading!