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ESOTERIC

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Originally appearing in Volume V09, Page 771 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ESOTERIC , having an inner or See also:

secret meaning. This See also:term, and its correlative " exoteric," were first applied in the See also:ancient See also:Greek mysteries to those who were initiated (kw, within) and to those who were not (Ew, outside), respectively. It was then transferred to a supposed distinction See also:drawn by certain philosophers between the teaching given to the whole circle of their pupils and that containing a higher and secret See also:philosophy which was reserved for a select number of specially advanced or privileged disciples. This distinction was ascribed by See also:Lucian (Vit. Auct. 26) to See also:Aristotle (q.v.), who, however, uses EEWTEpuKOi X6yyoe (Nic. See also:Ethics) merely of " popular See also:treatises." It was probably adopted by the Pythagoreans and was also attributed to See also:Plato. In the sense of mystic it is used of a secret See also:doctrine of See also:theosophy, supposed to have been traditional among certain disciples of See also:Buddhism.

End of Article: ESOTERIC

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