Immanentize The Eschaton

Phrase commonly associated with Robert Anton Wilson, esp from the Illuminatus Trilogy.

In The IlluminatiPapers he explains: Coined by Eric Voegelin (who was a political historian), refers to the Gnostic doctrine that people aren't really as hopelessly mired in Original Sin as Christians think. Means "seeking Heaven within this life/universe". Or trying to create Hell on Earth (as the bad guys are trying in the Trilogy).

David Blanckenhorn discusses the Voegelin reference (in The New Science of Politics).

Shea and Wilson likely got the concept from the Principia Discordia. It's apparent that they don't know the difference between "immanentizing the Eschaton" and "imminentizing the Eschaton". The former means what the above says. The latter is the sense used in the Illuminatus! Trilogy. It means "to cause the end of days".

Immanentize vs imminentize --2003/09/08 23:42 GMT
Actually I believe they use it in a double sense, for while in the Illuminatus trilogy the end of days is caused, it is caused according to discordian principles of taking the general absurditity of life with a very serious emphasis, thus both definitions function one as the cause the other as the effect

i vs a --2003/12/04 03:43 GMT
or visa? well done immanentizing the concept.