Karinthy Frigyes, újgnosztikus áramlatok: spiritizmus; teozófia; antropozófia

Abstract

In the early 20th century there were emerging many intellectual currents at the same time as an organic continuation of the Enlightenment, the materialist-based scientific thinking, such as Darwinism, Haeckelism, Marxism, and Einstein’s theory of relativity. At the same time, Goethe’s spiritual science, Kant’s moral philosophy, and pure Hegelian idealism were still influential, but there appeared already Nietzsche’s amoral philosophy, which was a contemporary philosophical response to the secularization of the world. A little bit later, were emerging Freudian psychoanalysis and its psychological branches (Jung, Ferenczy, Adler, etc.). As a counter-effect of materialism, there developed also esoteric trend as Neognostic Spiritualism, Theosophy and Anthroposophy, as well as the Freemasonry movement. These intellectual currents acted and fertilized simultaneously the bourgeois culture, science and art of that era. This ebullient intellectual environment favoured naturally the development of brilliant creators like Frigyes Karinthy. It is not by chance that there are detectable Gnostic elements in Karinty’s several writings, existential and eschatological ideas which are presented by exploring contemporary Neognostic trends in this study.