what are esoteric and exoteric thinkers?
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The ancient philosophies were of two kinds, -- exoteric, those that the philosophers themselves could partly understand, and esoteric, those that nobody could understand. It is the latter that have most profoundly affected modern thought and found greatest acceptance in our time. \n\nAmong educated people, the word "Esoteric" is widely known and used without concern for being obscure. On the other hand, the word "Exoteric" is completely obscure, known only to those that scour dictionaries. Thus, Exoteric is an esoteric word and Esoteric is an exoteric work; the two words refer to each other.
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Get this easy to read book. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It explains four habits to counter our human 'waking sleep.' You'll see your questions addressed in his advice.\n  We humans act as you describe in your questions because, according to Gurdjieff, man acts like a machine, acts automatically even though we THINK we are in control. His point is difficult to understand at first. Let me back up. \n   Your questions are those of a young or beginning Seeker. This is good! They put you in a special category and need special understanding to answer them. I mean, a special system of understanding. To me, yours are a spiritual and psychological set of questions dealing with the nature of Mankind. There are hundreds of Paths(systems) that point toward "answers". The most complete understandings come from what is called "Esoteric" thought. Esoteric means "inner most", among other things. Most paths are just fragmentary, but a few are worthwhile. Pick one that doesn't say all the others are wrong. Buddhism is good. The Work of George Gurdjieff is good. For starters, watch Joyce Meyers on TV for a year. She is a brilliant, relevant Christian woman, teaching beginning Esoteric understanding directly from the Bible(that's how I see her). There are others equally as thorough and tolerant. You'll discover it's all about changing YOU and who you think you are. Eventually you'll come to really understand why you are on this planet, in this life. What a glorius, if sometimes painful, mega-adventure!
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Rene Descartes (the Cartesian coordinate plane plus many other contributions)\n\nPierre de Fermat\n\nBlaise Pascal\n\nLook them up. That can get you started. Personally, I'm going to bed.
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There is a reasonable amount of eastern philosophy in London. I know of Buddhist monasaries around London (I used to go to the monastary in Wimbledon when I could) and judging by the number of people from the subcontinent, I would guess that hinduism is fairly common. You could be correct though, about some of the lesser known teligions.
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I don't follow  a book.  I believe the energy or essence of the soul lives on.  Simply stated, think of a door.  It opens; you leave one room and enter another.  Levels, planes, rooms, whatever word you want to use.  Some have had a glimpse of other levels.  They know by their experiences what exists beyond this small world we perceive.
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Fantasy writer. \n\nEvolution is a theory made up by someone.
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#3\nHe is a living entity far beyond our comprehension.\nScience tries to explain His creation.\nReligion tries to explain who He is.\nThe only way to know Him is through Jesus Christ.\nChrist alone is the way, truth and life.
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Wikipedia does a good job of breaking down the essentials of any philosopher, in straight talk.\n\nHe eseentially was one of the first to question the physical reality of what we are and see - and identified a constant reality "unseen" physically. SOme say he began the idea of "theology, religion, spirituality", etc - through prose.
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A Mind That is Stretched...\n\nHe who will not reason, is a bigot; he who cannot, is a fool; and he who dares not, is a slave.\n\n----Lord Byron\n\nA mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.\n\n----Oliver Wendell Holmes\n\nThe vital habits of democracy: the ability to follow an argument, grasp the point of view of another, expand the boundaries of understanding, debate the alternative purposes that might be pursued.\n\n----John Dewey
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a controversial belief system developed by L. Ron Hubbard, based on a person being an immortal spiritual being whose survival depends on him/herself and his/her attainment of brotherhood with others and the universe\nHope that helps ya! God Bless!!
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Intelligence is the ability to acquire and retain facts.\nWisdom is the ability to apply these facts to attain goals.\nIntelligence without Wisdom is no more than a light bulb without electricity.
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The New Age is a very eclective group of thoughts and ideas that change with the passing tides of time and place.  It had its beginnings in the earth 20th century and many gurus have come and gone in their time of new age thought.  It includes the metaphysical thought of psychic, mediumship, spirit, reincarnation, etc. and has also come and gone on the common beliefs in these areas as well.  (There are other groups who have more consistent information on these topics).
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Religious philosophy or speculation about the nature of the soul based on mystical insight into the nature of God. \noften Theosophy The system of beliefs and teachings of the Theosophical Society, founded in New York City in 1875, incorporating aspects of Buddhism and Brahmanism, especially the belief in reincarnation and spiritual evolution.
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AMEN!\n\nThe pure Wisdom from above, brings peace by "Destroying the works of the Devil", that do not come from above.\n\nHow can Light live with Darkness?
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Inner beauty.\nOuter beauty fades.  Intellect does not mean wisdom.  A good soul is more important than a good education.
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"Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clarke.\n\nWhen I was younger, I read a LOT about witchcraft, ghosts, magic (not stage magic, which didn't interest me), superstition and similar subjects.  \n\nWhat I learned from all of this reading is that there is such a thing as magic...  but it has a firm foundation in how people think.  It is not "supernatural", it is natural.  We just don't know the full science behind it.  Shamans, I think, understood some of this, and also understood that approaching it rationally would make the magic weaker.
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Eastern:  Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, etc.\n\nWestern: Christianity