Page "Esotericism" Paragraph 26

:“ The principal theoretical tool to safeguard scientific legitimity in this situation is the distinction between emic and etic.

Emic denotes the believer ’ s point of view.

On the part of the researcher, the reconstruction of this emic perspective requires an attitude of empathy which excludes personal biases as far as possible.

Scholarly discourse about religion, on the other hand, is not emic but etic.

Scholars may introduce their own terminology and make theoretical distinctions which are different from those of the believers themselves .”