IN THIS new edition of An Outline of Occult Science, I have almost
entirely reshaped the first chapter, The Character of Occult
Science. I believe that, as a result, there will now be less
cause for the misunderstandings I saw arising from the earlier wording
of this chapter. From many sides I could hear, Other sciences
offer proofs; what here is offered as science says simply, Occult
Science states this or that. It is quite natural for such
prejudice to arise, since the proofs of supersensible cognition cannot
obtrude themselves upon us with the exposition as is the case with the
exposition of relationships of sense-perceptible reality. I have,
however, sought, by means of a revision of the first chapter of this
book, to make clearer than I seem to have succeeded in doing in the
earlier editions, that we have to contend here merely with
prejudice. In the other chapters I have attempted, through
amplifications, to elaborate some items of my presentation more
clearly. Throughout the entire book I have taken pains to make
numerous changes in the wording of the content, which seemed to me
necessary after renewed experience of the subject matter.