Born out of the theosophies of the Age of Enlightenment, its roots may go back as far as such visionary esoteric alchemists as Paracelsus or even Christian Rosenkreuz. However, given the shear bulk of technological developments over the course of the 19th century, many were inclined to some rather utopian views of its impact on modern society. Perhaps the most notorious of these visionaries was Helena Blavatsky with her book on racial cosmology, called "The Secret Doctrine". Unfortunately it was particularly the assumption of certain skin colours and physiognomies being genealogically advanced, that inspired too many supremacist ideals of a new world order- not just amongst the Nazis, but the Stalinists as well...but aside from all that, the big problem with Theosophy and the esoteric movements that follow it, is that unhealthy habit of rejecting anything that doesn't conform to the "ideal", no matter how dangerously contrary to reality. Yet here they are in the 21st century, still rattling on about Dravidian conspiracies and Atlantean messages of cosmic salvation from the Pleiades on their smoking computers, without a even a clue how the damn things work. Gee, aren't we making progress then?
