Exotericism
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The word is derived from the the comparative form of Greek ἔξω eksô (from, out of, outside). It signifies anything which is public, without limits, or universal.
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 and the Catholic Church, 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.
