Post-Esotericism: Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Phenomenology of Contemporary Russian Web-Mysticism

Abstract

The aim of this study is to establish and analyze the qualitative characteristics of Russian-speaking mystical-esoteric online discourse in its metaphysical, epistemological, and phenomenological aspects. The research employs a methodological composite consisting of content analysis, discourse analysis, conceptual engineering, and imagological analysis. The research material comprises a corpus of mystical texts, including contemporary examples of online esoteric discourse as well as computer games. As a result, a number of key stable characteristics can be identified, which include: epistemological democratization and decentralization; the psychologization of esoteric knowledge; memeticity and multiple withdrawal as fundamental ontological characteristics; the primacy of aesthetics; horrorization; retromania; and the absence of ethical neutrality. This study provides a foundation for further development of the analyzed issues within the framework of object-oriented cultural analytics, employing an ontographic approach, while highlighting the existing conceptual intersections within the subject and object of study.