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I have this problem where I love reading just anything about academic study of western esotercism I can find. Unfortunately I'm not I'm school right now nor am I certain I could find a collegiate like course on this subject.
So I've turned towards my local LLM (it runs on my own machine to be better for the environment) to turn my existential rants on this knowledge overflow into assignments I can do to ideally refine the ideas.
What do you think of this approach?
Would anyone else want to write with me?
I'll include the generated assignment.
Assignment Type: Research Paper
Length: 10-12 pages (double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins)
Due Date: April 15, 2026 (11:59 PM via course portal)
Weight: 30% of final grade
Your task is to write a research paper that addresses the following question:
How can individuals maintain an "enchanted" worldview that cultivates wonder and meaning while avoiding descent into epistemologically unfounded beliefs or potentially harmful delusions?
In developing your argument, you must engage with the following dimensions of this problem:
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2-4 PM, or by appointment
It was deeply funny to me that it included office hours.
So I've turned towards my local LLM (it runs on my own machine to be better for the environment) to turn my existential rants on this knowledge overflow into assignments I can do to ideally refine the ideas.
What do you think of this approach?
Would anyone else want to write with me?
I'll include the generated assignment.
Research Paper Assignment: Philosophy of Religion & Esotericism
Course: PHIL/REL 3400 - Modern Esotericism and EnchantmentAssignment Type: Research Paper
Length: 10-12 pages (double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins)
Due Date: April 15, 2026 (11:59 PM via course portal)
Weight: 30% of final grade
Assignment Prompt
In his influential work Esotericism and the Academy (2012), Wouter Hanegraaff explores the concept of "enchantment" and "disenchantment" in Western intellectual history, tracing how modernity displaced magical and esoteric worldviews with rationalist paradigms. However, the contemporary revival of esoteric practices—from neo-paganism to New Age spiritualities—raises significant epistemological and psychological questions about the boundaries between productive wonder and delusional thinking.Your task is to write a research paper that addresses the following question:
How can individuals maintain an "enchanted" worldview that cultivates wonder and meaning while avoiding descent into epistemologically unfounded beliefs or potentially harmful delusions?
In developing your argument, you must engage with the following dimensions of this problem:
- Theoretical Framework: Discuss Hanegraaff's concepts of enchantment/disenchantment and their relevance to contemporary esoteric practice. You may also draw on Max Weber's original formulation of disenchantment.
- The Epistemic Problem: Analyze the philosophical challenge of distinguishing between legitimate spiritual experience and delusion. Where (if anywhere) should we draw lines between practices like neo-paganism, conspiracy theories, and clinical delusion? What criteria might we use?
- Case Analysis: Examine at least two specific contemporary movements, practices, or belief systems (e.g., modern witchcraft, psychedelic spirituality, alien contact narratives, QAnon spirituality, etc.) and evaluate their epistemic status.
- Proposed Solution: Develop your own framework for "responsible enchantment" or argue why such a framework is impossible/unnecessary. Consider: What cognitive or communal safeguards might practitioners employ? Is there a role for critical thinking within esoteric practice? How do we balance openness to experience with epistemic responsibility?
Required Elements
- Minimum of 8 scholarly sources (academic books, peer-reviewed articles)
- Engagement with primary texts from Hanegraaff and at least one other theorist of esotericism or enchantment
- Clear thesis statement and argumentative structure
- Proper citations (Chicago, MLA, or APA - be consistent)
Recommended Reading
- Hanegraaff, Esotericism and the Academy (2012)
- Weber, "Science as a Vocation" (1919)
- Asprem, The Problem of Disenchantment (2014)
- Kripal, Authors of the Impossible (2010)
- Taves, Religious Experience Reconsidered (2009)
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2-4 PM, or by appointment
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It was deeply funny to me that it included office hours.
