This is my first book by an author of the so-called “traditionalist” school. I was curious to read about their ideas both from the perspective of religion and in their relation to geopolitics (I understand not all “traditionalists” are interested in politics.) While I could sympathize with some of Rene Guenon’s ideas if taken metaphorically or from a more moderate position, the problem is he takes his ideas to their extreme logical conclusion, and it becomes like a reverse “end of history.” He believes history is cyclical but still yearns for history to return to an absolute pure utopian golden age and believes a small cadre of spiritual elites can reverse the course of history to bring this about. Thus, there is a contradiction between believing that history is cyclical according to the laws of the universe (Mr. Guenon bases this belief on Hindu belief systems) but also believing that human behavior can influence and change these cycles. While there of course is a lot to criticize about “modernity,” Mr. Guenon proposes something that is just the extreme opposite of it and just as problematic. Mr. Guenon lays out the ills of “modernity” that most of us can understand. Destruction of the East from colonialism, technological development bringing about our demise, the worship of science and reason over everything else, consumerist culture etc. This is all true but once again, Mr. Guenon is proposing we return back to some imagined perfect golden age in the past which is just as flawed. I understand that he is not strictly anti-science and believes in a material world, but he seems to suggest that ancient knowledge is superior to modern knowledge not only in terms of spiritual development but in the area of science as well. While the ancients did make scientific discoveries that hold up today and led to further scientific discovery, they also believed in a lot of nonsense that was and still is dangerous. Should one see a shaman rather than a doctor? Is alchemy superior to chemistry? Once again, while Mr. Guenon does not explicitly reject science, a return to his ancient golden age would lead to the slowing of scientific and medical advances. As flawed as science and medicine is, people are living longer, and certain diseases can be better treated or cured than they did in the past.
Another flaw I see is his over romanization of the “East.” It is a bit like Rousseau’s “noble savage.” Everyone in the “East” is pure and child-like and an uncorrupted sage not touched by “modernity.” A history book of China would say otherwise. It is very condescending even though Mr. Guenon is trying to say the “East” is superior to the “West.” Mr. Guenon also believes that behind all world religion is one original form and knowledge and that all religion is just a manifestation of this one source. This idea is in itself not dangerous (whether it is factually correct or not is another story) but it can be in the way Mr. Guenon and his followers use it. Throughout the book, the author alludes to this secret unnamed knowledge that only a few in the West possess. Since there is no description or roadmap to discovering this knowledge, I can see how Mr. Guenon’s ideas can lead to a cult-like following. A charlatan guru can easily claim to possessing this secret knowledge and dupe followers into following him/her. Furthermore, the author believes a small core of elite in the West can obtain this secret knowledge and guide the masses (who of course are stupid and unable to understand anything.) Thus, people can be manipulated and are only a means for the secret elite to rule. I consider myself to be center-right and don’t believe in absolute “equality of outcome” and understand the various critiques of democracy but how is Mr. Guenon’s ideas any different than Vladimir Lenin believing in a small core of revolutionaries who manipulate the masses to create an authoritarian regime? While I doubt Mr. Guenon himself was sympathetic to fascism, his ideas could lead there or to a religiously tyrannical government. Democracy is flawed indeed but as Winston Churchill said it is the least bad form of government. To me a true conservative understands that human nature is flawed and tries to produce a solution that is based in reality and most likely to make things better than they were yesterday, not perfect. A true conservative rejects the extreme utopia of the Left and the Right. Once again, I think Mr. Guenon is extreme and makes a proposal that is the extreme opposite of what he is critiquing. Moderation and balance should be the goal. As a conservative, I can sympathize with wanting to revive tradition and resisting the absolute secularization and politization of everything, but tradition and religion have to also evolve in some areas. I am a fan of doing things like preserving the Latin Mass but the Church can’t remain the way it was in antiquity in the modern world. All and all, I’d be okay with this book if it was calling for a moderate balance between religion and modernity but Mr. Guenon is really proposing something else. It is a vision of the world that returns to some mythical, and reactionary, golden age that never existed in the first place. He is like a reverse Marxist or extreme positivist. Still, I think the book is worth reading if you want to understand this school of thought and understand why some on the political Right are attracted to this philosophy.
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M. C. Morison
A cool prophecy of the reasons for the West’s fall
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 9, 2021Andrew Hall
Deep but crystal clear
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 17, 2021
