Exotericism
Exotericism is the opposite of
esotericism in any application. The word is derived from the Latin
ex (from, out of, outside) and
terra (world, externality). It signifies anything which is public, without limits, or
universal.
Whether or not a society qualifies as exoteric is often open to debate. Many would claim that
Catholicism falls into this category, because it accepts all humans into itself and allows all of them its rites. Some argue that the Catholic church is steeped in esoterica, such as practices in the
Vatican which are reserved only for certain levels of the priestly order, like the secret election of a new
Pope.
It is often argued that the aim of
Martin Luther, in his creation of a schism with the Catholic Church, was to provide a more egalitarian, exoteric form of
Christianity. This has been suggested based upon his attempt to remove the hierarchy of
priesthood from the church, creating a structure in which the sheep has no more power nor responsibility than the shepherd. This image is often used by
Protestants.
Certain forms of Christianity are avowedly not exoteric. The
Mormon church, for example, does not allow lay worshippers to attend many of its rituals, including the
nuptial ceremony. The
Church of Scientology is also proud of its levels of initiation.
Many forms of
Buddhism advocate the indivisibility of men and their ultimate and immutable equality. However, many forms of Buddhism involve rituals and practices that are unavailable to the uninitiated, or even to all but the most involved adepts. Buddhism is often called exoteric, but to say so is to falsely consider all forms of Buddhism to be identical.
Many societies are divided into two sections - the Exoteric, or public face, and an internal and occulted Esoteric section for selected members. Such are many guilds, such as the
Masons, which are at some level accessible to the uninitiated but which have higher and higher levels of initiation as one progresses.
The exoteric form of government is one where all actions taken by the government must be both publicly disclosed and ratified by the public. This is often referred to as
pluralism of governance, or pure or 'Athenian' democracy.
The exoteric ideal of data accessibility is one opposed to the restrictions of
copyright protection and in favor of the free and uncontrolled exchange of ideas. This is an ideal which is much in vogue since the popularization of the
Internet. This is often compared to the method used by
Socrates when teaching in his garden in
Athens.
