Allan Kardec: The Spirits’ Book

Questions for Further Study

• 1. What is the difference between Spiritism and Spiritualism, at least as Kardec understood the terms? Do you think this distinction is significant, or is it a “distinction without a difference”?
• 2. The entry states that “Rivail [Kardec] took an interest in a host of esoteric ideas, including alternative healing therapies, parapsychology, physiognomic concepts associated with phrenology, and magnetism, as well as a variety of beliefs and practices emerging from the European occult movement.” Explain what in your view would cause a person such as Kardec—and he was not alone—to adopt these interests. Dissatisfaction with science and rationality? A religious impulse? A psychological need?
• 3. Have you ever participated in a séance? Do you believe that it is possible to communicate with the dead through the intervention of a medium? Why or why not?
• 4. Compare this document with another document that deals with esoteric views. One possibility is Helena Blavatsky’s text The Secret Doctrine. What views do the authors share? How are their views different?
• 5. Assume for a moment that it is not possible to communicate with spirits and that Kardec’s views cannot be defended. What value do you think an interest in Spiritism could have for a person? Do you believe that Spiritism and other esoteric and paranormal activities can aid a person in improving his or her outlook on or understanding of life, death, the soul, consciousness, ethics, morals, or any other abstract concept? Explain.