Cover of Social and political thought of Julius Evola
Read Time: ~2.9 hr

Social and political thought of Julius Evola

by Paul Furlong (2011)

About this book

"Julius Evolas writing covered a vast range of subjects, from a distinctive and categorical ideological outlook and has been extremely influential on a significant number of extreme right thinkers, activists and organisations. This book is the first full length study in English to present his political thought to a wider audience, beyond that of his followers and sympathisers, and to bring into the open the study of a neglected strand of contemporary Western thought, that of traditionalism. Evola deserves more attention because he is an influential writer. His following comes from an important if largely ignored political movement: activists and commentators whose political positions are, like his, avowedly traditionalist, authoritarian, anti-modern, anti-democratic and anti-liberal. With honourable exceptions, contemporary academic study tends to treat these groups as a minority within a minority, a sub-species of Fascism, from whom they are held to derive their ideas and their support. This work seeks to bring out more clearly the complexity of Evolas post-war strategy, so as to explain how he can be adopted both by the neo-fascist groups committed to violence, and by groups such as the European New Right whose approach is more aimed at influence from within liberal democracies. Furlong also recognises the relevance of Evolas ideas to anti-globalisation arguments, including a re-examination of his arguments for detachment and spontaneism (apolitia)"-- "Julius Evola's writing covered a vast range of subjects, from a distinctive and categorical ideological outlook and has been extremely influential on a significant number of extreme right thinkers, activists and organisations. This book is the first full length study in English to present his political thought to a wider audience, beyond that of his followers and sympathisers, and to bring into the open the study of a neglected strand of contemporary Western thought, that of traditionalism"--

Setting / LocationGlobal
Story EraModern Era
Protagonist / CoreSocial and political thought of Julius Evola Lead Character

Readers who enjoyed this also loved

Cover of Beyond religious right and secular left rhetoric

Beyond religious right and secular left rhetoric

Karin Fry

"Many of America's political debates stem from media-constructed opposition between the religious right and secular left. However, the contentious dialogue between two seemingly-contrasting camps is based upon assumptions and stereotypes, rather than facts: the Christian right misrepresents the left as a movement inspired by moral relativism, while the left erroneously frames the Christian right as theocratically-driven. Beyond Religious Right and Secular Left Rhetoric uncovers the actual differences between these groups, examining how both movements have similar conceptual histories. By stressing their oft-ignored similarities (promotion of religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and separation of church and state), the book seeks to better inform partisans and the public at-large in order to move the debate beyond assumptions"--

Cover of Classical Christianity and the political order

Classical Christianity and the political order

Ernest L. Fortin

In Volume Two of "Ernest Fortin: Collected Essays", Fortin deals with the relationship between religion and civil society in a Christian context: that of an essentially nonpolitical but by no means entirely otherwordly religion, many of whose teachings were thought to be fundamentally at odds with the duties of citizenship. Sections focus upon Augustine and Aquinas, on Christianity and politics; natural law, natural rights, and social justice; and Leo Strauss and the revival of classical political philosophy. Fortin's treatment of these and related themes betrays a keen awareness of one of the significant intellectual events of our time: the recovery of political philosophy as a legitimate academic discipline.

Cover of Imperial rulership and cultural change in traditional China

Imperial rulership and cultural change in traditional China

Frederick P. Brandauer and Chun-chieh Huang

"In traditional times, the emperor of China was assumed to be a morally upright person who, as Son of Heaven, ruled an empire that was arranged beneath him in hierarchical order and that functioned as a harmonious and self-consistent whole. His own conduct was believed to influence the working of the natural order of all "under heaven." The essays in Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China examine the relationship between emperors and culture, and ask how effective emperors were in generating cultural change. Collectively, they find that although an image of rulership as an ideal persisted throughout Chinese history, there is a great discrepancy between the image of the Chinese ruler as an all-powerful, benevolent, sovereign figure and the actual practice of this rulership." "Arranged chronologically by subject matter, the essays cover historical periods ranging from the third century B.C. to A.D.^ 1900, and reflect the disciplines of history, literature, religious studies, and philosophy. Jack L. Dull's essay, "Determining Orthodoxy: Imperial Roles," examines the extent to which Chinese emperors attempted to and were successful in determining orthodoxy; Stephen Durrant's "Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Portrayal of the First Ch'in Emperor" shows how the author of the Shih-chi (the first comprehensive history of China) deals with the controversial Ch'in Shih-huang; in "The Emperor and Literature: Emperor Wu of the Han," David R. Knechtges explores the important role of Han Wu-ti in actively supporting literature; Chen Jo-shui's "Empress Wu and Proto-Feminist Sentiments in T'ang China" analyzes the use of Buddhism by China's only woman ruler to legitimize the idea of a female emperor and examines the influence of her ideas on history; Thomas H.C.^ Lee's "Academies: Official Sponsorship and Suppression" explores how and when intellectuals associated with early Chinese academies sought to achieve independence from imperial rulership; in "Imperial Rulership and Buddhism in the Early Northern Sung," Huang Chi-chiang focuses on the promotion of Buddhism by the four emperors who reigned from 960 to 1063; Huang Chun-chieh, in "Imperial Rulership in Cultural History: Chu-hsi's Interpretation," discusses the great Sung Neo-Confucian philosopher's insistence on the need for education of the ruler; Frederick P.^ Brandauer's "The Emperor and the Star Spirits: A Mythological Reading of the Shui-hu chuan" shows how the earliest complete version of the novel presents a mythological frame promoting loyalty and support for the emperor (in contrast to the seventeenth-century truncated version used by Marxist critics); "Ku Yen-wu's Ideal of the Emperor: A Cultural Giant and a Political Dwarf," by Ku Wei-ying, analyzes the views on rulership of a leading seventeenth-century Chinese scholar; and R. Kent Guy's "Imperial Powers and the Appointment of Provincial Governors in Ch'ing China, 1700-1900" examines the way in which emperors used their power of appointment to impose their own vision and effect cultural change."--Jacket.

Cover of Huxley's Brave new world

Huxley's Brave new world

David Garrett Izzo and Kim Kirkpatrick

"These essays reiterate the influence of Brave New World as a literary and philosophical document and describe how Huxley took the events of the world up to 1932 and forecast today's trivialization of society as a path to excess and dictatorship by pacification"--Provided by publisher.

Social and political thought of Julius Evola by Paul Furlong | Literally Just Books