Draft:René Guénon

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René Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon (1886–1951), also known as ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Yaḥyá after his conversion to Islam, was a French author and crank metaphysician. He is considered to be an important writer in the Traditionalist School of philosophy.

Guénon was associated with monarchist and fascist thinkers like Julius Evola. Some members of the alt-right and neo-Nazism have declared themselves as big fans.

Politics and relationship with fascism[edit]

Just after World War I, Guénon was close to some circles of the conservative French right such as the neo-thomists, above all Jacques Maritain, and some members of the right-wing political movement Action Française including Léon Daudet, Jacques Bainville (Maritain, as many Catholics, stopped any links with the Action française after the papal condemnation of the movement in 1926).[1][2][3] The main goal of Guénon during this period was to convince Maritain and the Catholic Church to revitalize Christianity through a dialogue with oriental religions and he envisaged a restoration of traditional "intellectualité" in the West on the basis of Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry.[note 1] The project was unsuccessful. Several authors see in Guénon a successor of the monarchist, ultramontanist Joseph de Maistre, who was a Freemason like Guénon.[1]

Guénon's second book was published by a publishing house (Nouvelle Librairie nationale directed by Jacques Maritain at that time [4]) associated with the Action Francaise, and he also wished for his first book to be published there (It was pusblished finally in the publishing house of the syndicalist Marcel Rivière [5]).[6] Among Guénon's acquaintances was also George Valois,[7] who was a first an Anarcho-syndicalist, later member of the Action francaise, founder of the fascist Faisceau and finally member of the French Resistance and died in a concentration camp, and Pierre Winter (former member of the Faisceau party).[8]

Relationship with Julius Evola[edit]

Guénoninfluenced several writers who are on the far right of the political spectrum.[9] The main reason is the fact that he had a strong influence on Julius Evola with whom he kept up an epistolary correspondence. For instance Evola wrote that "Guénon's deductions assume a radical character: hierarchical, aristocratic, anti-individualist, anti-social and anti-collectivist."[10][11] Guénon consented to having extracts of his writings published in the fascist newspaper Regime fascista, a newspaper curated by Evola.[12][11][13][14] Julius Evola praised the work and philosophy of Guénon:

“”In any case, Guénon belongs in essence to the culture of the Right. His work is a radical negation of democracy, socialism, and individualism. He goes even further, into areas barely touched upon by current Right-wing critiques.[15]
“” The criticism which Guénon levels against modern scientism in all of its materialistic, pragmatist and evolutionary trajectories, is the most serious and the most radical of all the criticisms ever made. On the other hand, once it is applied to a social and practical plane, any knowledge which tradition draws from its metaphysical premises can be translated into principles which can properly situate and organize mundane activities and bestow on them a higher meaning; these principles can also create institutional forms adequate to this purpose and prolong "life" into something which is "more than life."
In this context, Guénon's deductions assume a radical character: hierarchical, aristocratic, anti-individualist, anti-social and anti-collectivist … the knowledge and the study of the works of this author should be recommended to the best elements and to those who are most anxious to receive an authentic spiritual orientation in our new Italy. … These elements would find in Guénon’s works perspectives which are far removed from any particularism and personalism. …
I feel this to be case, since the promise of Guénon’s “radical traditionalism” is the same as Mussolini’s idéal of the attainment of a “permanent and universal reality,” which is the necessary requirement for any person who wishes to act spiritually in the world with a “dominating human will.”[16]

Reception[edit]

According to an article in Vanity Fair, "The global surge of nationalism has breathed new life into Guénon’s and Evola’s ideas, while the rise of political strategists such as Dugin and Bannon has given Traditionalism a proximity to power not seen since the 1930s and ’40s. "[17]

Robert Horvath wrote that Guénon refused not only the principle of equality, democratism and liberalism, but also socialism.[18] A well known if controversial definition by Bergier and Louis Pauwels defined Hitler as Guénon plus the 'Panzerdivisonen'.[1] Guénon also influenced Nazi writer Savitri Devi.[19]

Guénon has influenced Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt in formulating his theory of the Absolute State and the forces that work against it.[20] The "crown jurist of the Nazi Third Reich" Carl Schmitt wrote in 1942 that Guénon was an important "teacher" for Mircea Eliade, a philosopher also known for his support of fascist movements.[20] However, Eliade also wrote that he preferred the writings of the tradionalist Ananda Coomaraswamy to both Guénon and Evola, whom he defined as "dilettantes" in an essay written in 1937,[20] and Eliade also thought that Sri Aurobindo was more "perfected" than Guénon.[21]

Mircea Eliade recalled in his diary about Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt:

“”He [Carl Schmitt] believes René Guénon is the most interesting person of our time. (I don’t believe this always, but often I do. Although I consider Aurobindo Ghose more “perfected.”)[22]

Guénon has remained on the reading lists of the New Right.[23][24][25] The work of Russian New Right author Aleksander Dugin is influenced by René Guénon and Julius Evola. Dugin repeatedly claimed Guénon as one of his teachers, and even suggested naming Rostov State University after Guénon.[26][27][28] Italian neo-fascist and convicted terrorist Vincenzo Vinciguerra quoted Guénon and Evola in justification of his assassinations and bombings. Italian far right and anti-semitic writer Claudio Mutti was also influenced by Evola and Guénon.[29]

Far-right conspiracy theorist Olavo de Carvalho[30][31][32] and Steve Bannon[33][34] are others examples of a contemporary New Right authors influenced by Guénon's philosophy. Steve Bannon’s claimed that Guénon was a crucial influence on him.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ Cf. among others his Aperçus sur l'ésotérisme chrétien (Éditions Traditionnelles, Paris, 1954) and Études sur la Franc-maçonnerie et le Compagnonnage (2 vols, Éditions Traditionnelles, Paris, 1964–65) which include many of his articles for the Catholic journal Regnabit.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lindenberg Daniel. René Guénon ou la réaction intégrale. In: Mil neuf cent, n°9, 1991. Les pensées réactionnaires. pp. 69-79.
  2. ↑ Marie France James wrote that René Guénon, knew “Ferdinand Gombault, doctor in scholastic philosophy; during more than 30 years, until his departure for Cairo, these two intellectuals maintained regular contact and both were partisans of the Action Française”
  3. ↑ Paul Chacornac, Simple Life of René Guénon
  4. ↑ Jean-Pierre Laurant, René Guénon, les enjeux d'une lecture, Paris, Dervy, 2006, ISBN 2-84454-423-1)
  5. ↑ Bruno Hapel, René Guénon et le Roi du Monde, Paris, Guy Trédaniel, 2001, p. 153, ISBN 2-84445-244-2.
  6. ↑ Laurant. Jean-Pierre et Barbanegra, Paul (éd.) : « Cahiers de l'Herne » 49 : René Guénon, Éditions de l'Herne, Paris. ISBN 2-85-197-055-0, p. 121.
  7. ↑ Accart, Xavier : Guénon ou le renversement des clartés : Influence d'un métaphysicien sur la vie littéraire et intellectuelle française (1920–1970), 2005, Edidit. ISBN 978-2-912770-03-5.
  8. ↑ Nguyen, Johan (2012-11-02). La réception de l'acupuncture en France: Une biographie revisitée de George Soulié de Morant (1878–1955). L'Harmattan. p. 100. ISBN 978-2-336-00358-0. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  9. ↑ Review by: Daniel Lindenberg Source: Esprit, No. 332 (2) (Février 2007), pp. 218-222. Reviewed Work(s): GUÉNON OU LE RENVERSEMENT DES CLARTÉS. Influence d'un métaphysicien sur la vie littéraire et intellectuelle française (1920–1970) by Xavier Accart
  10. ↑ Julis Evola. Rene Guenon a Teacher for Modern Times
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Julius Evola, Ricognizioni: uomini e problemi (Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1974).
  12. ↑ Fascism: Post-war fascisms edited by Roger Griffin, Matthew Feldman
  13. ↑ Orlando Fedeli’s essay “A Gnose “Tradicionalista” de René Guénon e Olavo de Carvalho”
  14. ↑ Patrick Geay : René Guénon récupéré par l'extrême droite, La Règle d'Abraham, september 2015, Ubik éditions.
  15. ↑ Julius Evola, Ricognizioni: uomini e problemi (Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1974)
  16. ↑ Julius Evola. René Guénon: a Teacher for Modern Times. (Holmes Publishing Group, 1994). p. 17.  Online
  17. ↑ https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/the-strange-origins-of-steve-bannons-nationalist-fantasia
  18. ↑ Review of Mark Sedgewick, Against the Modern world, Review by Róbert Horváth, Axis Polaris, No. 7 (Budapest: 2006) in Hungarian and in TYR, Vol. 3 (Atlanta, Georgia: 2007) in English.
  19. ↑ Savitri Devi, Souvenirs et réflexions d’une Aryenne (Memories and Reflections of an Aryan Woman)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Grottanelli Cristiano. Mircea Eliade, Carl Schmitt, René Guénon, 1942. In: Revue de l'histoire des religions, tome 219, n°3, 2002. pp. 325-356.
  21. ↑ Mircea Eliade’s The Portugal Journal, trans. Mac Linscott Ricketts (Albany, N.Y.: SUNY Press, 2010)
  22. ↑ **Mircea Eliade, Mircea Eliade’s The Portugal Journal, trans. Mac Linscott Ricketts (Albany, N.Y.: SUNY Press, 2010) , see also Grottanelli Cristiano. Mircea Eliade, Carl Schmitt, René Guénon, 1942. In: Revue de l'histoire des religions, tome 219, n°3, 2002. pp. 325-356.
  23. ↑ Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century by Mark Sedgwick. https://books.google.com/books/about/Against_the_Modern_World.html?id=GcUFmQ-NF_0C
  24. ↑ Roger Griffin, ed., Fascism, 1995, page 353
  25. ↑ Enquêtes sur la droite extrême, (1992), le journaliste R. Monzat
  26. ↑ Russian Fascism: Traditions, Tendencies, Movements by S. Shenfield https://books.google.com/books?id=qmTuwl8P8ocC
  27. ↑ https://www.diploweb.com/L-oeuvre-de-Douguine-au-sein-de-la.html
  28. ↑ A. Shekhovtsov & Andreas Umland: Is Aleksandr Dugin a Traditionalist? “Neo-Eurasianism” and Perennial Philosophy. In: The Russian Review. 68, Oktober 2009
  29. ↑ Goodrick-Clarke, N. (2003). Black sun: Aryan cults, esoteric Nazism, and the politics of identity. New York: New York University Press.
  30. ↑ https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/traditionalism-steve-bannon-benjamin-teitelbaum/
  31. ↑ de Carvalho, Olavo (1981). O homem e a sua lanterna, RENÉ GUÉNON O MESTRE DA TRADIÇÃO CONTRA O REINO DA DETURPAÇÃO (107 ed.). Planeta (revista). 
  32. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  33. ↑ Revealed: The 6 Books That Steve Bannon Says Influenced His Worldview, by Adelle Nazarian, 12 November 2017, Breitbart News
  34. ↑ https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/traditionalism-steve-bannon-benjamin-teitelbaum/


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