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The New Prometheans: Faith, Science, and the Supernatural Mind in the Victorian Fin de Siècle — Occult Philosophy

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The New Prometheans: Faith, Science, and the Supernatural Mind in the Victorian Fin de Siècle

Name: The New Prometheans: Faith, Science, and the Supernatural Mind in the Victorian Fin de Siècle
Price: 125.00 USD
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ISBN: 9780226635217

✍️ Raia, Courtenay

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4.5

(1 review)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

“The New Prometheans” delves into the fascinating late Victorian era, revealing how prominent thinkers grappled with the intersection of science and spirituality. Amidst a cultural yearning for deeper understanding, figures like Crookes, Myers, Lodge, and Lang pioneered psychical research, a daring endeavor to scientifically validate phenomena like telepathy, hypnotism, and even spirit communication. This study wasn't a fringe pursuit but a vital intellectual movement, seeking to reconcile scientific materialism with the possibility of a transcendent mind, bringing these profound inquiries from academic halls into public discourse.

Raia, Courtenay

📚 all books by this author (2) →

🕯️

Occult Philosophy

Praise for this book

“The lucidity of Raia's prose, mastery of the sources, and persuasive power of her arguments can only be appreciated in a careful reading and not adequately outlined in this brief review. This is a work to be read and worthy of being reread so rich are its offerings.”

— Reading Religion

🏛 University of Chicago Press 📅 2019 📖 440 pages 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9780226635217

Fun Fact

Raia's "The New Prometheans" is a meticulously researched and illuminating account, expertly repositioning psychical research as a vital, rigorous intellectual endeavor. It excels in showcasing the serious intent of its pioneering figures. While not for those seeking simple validation or debunking, it's an indispensable volume for anyone interested in the complex interplay of faith, science, and the evolving concept of mind in Victorian history.

📝 Description: The New Prometheans: Faith, Science, and the Supernatural Mind in the Victorian Fin de Siècle

The Society for Psychical Research was established in 1882 to further the scientific study of consciousness, but it arose in the surf of a larger cultural need. Victorians were on the hunt for self-understanding. Mesmerists, spiritualists, and other romantic seekers roamed sunken landscapes of entrancement, and when psychology was finally ready to confront these altered states, psychical research was adopted as an experimental vanguard. Far from a rejected science, it was a necessary heterodoxy, probing mysteries as diverse as telepathy, hypnosis, and even séance phenomena. Its investigators sought facts far afield of physical laws: evidence of a transcendent, irreducible mind. The New Prometheans traces the evolution of psychical research through the intertwining biographies of four men: chemist Sir William Crookes, depth psychologist Frederic Myers, ether physicist Sir Oliver Lodge, and anthropologist Andrew Lang. All past presidents of the society, these men brought psychical research beyond academic circles and into the public square, making it part of a shared, far-reaching examination of science and society. By layering their papers, textbooks, and lectures with more intimate texts like diaries, letters, and literary compositions, Courtenay Raia returns us to a critical juncture in the history of secularization, the last great gesture of reconciliation between science and sacred truths.

📑 What's inside

Introduction
Chapter One. The Culture of Proof and the Crisis of Faith
Chapter Two. William Crookes in Wonderland: Scientific Spiritualism and the Physics of the Impossible
Chapter Three. Romancing the Crone: Frederic Myers, Spiritualism, and the "Enchanted Portal to the World"
Chapter Four. "The Incandescent Solid beneath Our Line of Sight" Frederic Myers, the Self, and the Psychiatric Subconscious
Chapter Five. Knowledge in Motion: Oliver Lodge, the Imperceptible Ether, and the Physics of (Extra-)Sensory Perception
Chapter Six. Uncanny Cavemen: Andrew Lang, Psycho-Folklore, and the Romance of Ancient Man
Chapter Seven. Psychical Modernism: Science, Subjectivity, and the Unsalvageable Self
Notes
Bibliography
Index

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Courtenay Raia offers a compelling examination of the New Prometheans, detailing their serious attempt to bridge science and the supernatural in the late Victorian era. The text effectively portrays psychical research as a vital intellectual movement rather than mere superstition. However, this academic focus may not suit readers seeking practical occult techniques or casual historical anecdotes. Those expecting sensational ghost stories or easy-to-digest summaries of spiritualism might find the rigorous analysis of figures like Crookes and Myers too dense. It is best suited for scholars and serious enthusiasts who appreciate the complex dialogue between scientific materialism and transcendent inquiry during this specific cultural moment.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers fascinated by the historical intersection of science and spirituality will find this book essential for understanding how Victorian intellectuals approached the unknown. It reveals that psychical research was not a fringe pursuit but a serious intellectual endeavor aimed at validating phenomena like telepathy and spirit communication. By exploring figures such as Crookes, Myers, Lodge, and Lang, the text offers a unique window into how these pioneers brought profound inquiries from academic halls into public discourse. This book is ideal for those interested in the history of science, the evolution of esoteric thought, and the cultural yearning for deeper understanding during the Victorian era. It provides a nuanced look at the brave attempts to merge empirical study with transcendent mind possibilities.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

For those captivated by Victorian intellectual history, the genesis of consciousness studies, or the daring attempts to bridge science and spirituality, this book is essential. Explore how luminaries sought to scientifically validate the supernatural, reshaping our understanding of the human mind.

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Courtenay Raia offers a compelling examination of the New Prometheans, detailing their serious attempt to bridge science and the supernatural in the late Victorian era. The text effectively portrays psychical research as a vital intellectual movement rather than mere superstition. However, this academic focus may not suit readers seeking practical occult techniques or casual historical anecdotes. Those expecting sensational ghost stories or easy-to-digest summaries of spiritualism might find the rigorous analysis of figures like Crookes and Myers too dense. It is best suited for scholars and serious enthusiasts who appreciate the complex dialogue between scientific materialism and transcendent inquiry during this specific cultural moment.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Neither, precisely. It examines psychical research as a distinct effort by Victorian intellectuals to apply scientific rigor to phenomena like those claimed by spiritualists, seeking empirical evidence for a non-physical reality rather than simply accepting or dismissing existing practices.

"Fin de Siècle," French for "end of the century," refers to the late 19th century, a time of profound cultural shifts. It denotes a period of intellectual and artistic ferment, often characterized by a sense of impending change, disillusionment, and a search for new spiritual or philosophical anchors.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Science and Spirituality

This book explores the complex and often contentious relationship between emerging scientific thought and traditional spiritual beliefs during the Victorian era. It details how pioneering researchers attempted to apply rigorous empirical methods to phenomena previously relegated to the realm of faith, seeking a scientific basis for the transcendent aspects of consciousness.

Victorian Intellectual Quest

Discover the intellectual ferment of the Fin de Siècle, a period marked by profound societal shifts and a deep hunger for meaning. The book highlights how prominent figures actively engaged in a daring quest for knowledge, pushing the boundaries of conventional understanding to explore the human mind and its potential beyond materialist confines.

Pioneers of Psychical Research

Meet the visionary minds who shaped the early days of psychical inquiry. The work intricately traces the intertwined intellectual journeys of key figures like Crookes, Myers, Lodge, and Lang, revealing how their diverse backgrounds converged to establish and legitimize the scientific investigation of consciousness and supernatural phenomena in the public sphere.

📜 Historical context

This work places psychical research squarely within late Victorian intellectual ferment, a period grappling with scientific materialism and spiritual uncertainty. It traces the movement's evolution from earlier esoteric practices, like mesmerism and spiritualism, into a rigorous, if controversial, scientific pursuit that laid groundwork for modern parapsychology and consciousness studies.

📚 Glossary

Psychical Research
Fin de Siècle
Mesmerism

📔 Questions to reflect on

How do contemporary scientific and spiritual communities engage with phenomena considered "supernatural" today, and what lessons can be drawn from the Victorian approach?
Reflect on your own understanding of consciousness. Do you believe it can exist independently of the physical body, and why?
Considering the ethical implications, how far should scientific inquiry extend into realms traditionally held as sacred or purely experiential?