Wouter Hanegraaff
scholar · 1 mention across 1 reading
In this course
Hanegraaff provides the historical and conceptual framework for understanding how esoteric and hermetic traditions intersect with contemporary knowledge-making practices, particularly conspiracy theories and alternative epistemologies. His work on the "cultic milieu" and Western esotericism enables the course to trace how AI discourse and technological utopianism inherit romantic, mystical, and occult thinking patterns rather than emerging as purely rationalist departures from them. By situating these concerns within the study of esotericism, Hanegraaff helps articulate how cybernetic and AI narratives recycle older metaphysical anxieties about knowledge, control, and transcendence.
Background
Wouter Jacobus Hanegraaff is professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. He is a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Science (KNAW) and an honorary member of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE), having served as its first president from 2005 to 2013.
Wikipedia →Mentioned in 1 reading
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