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Revolt Against the Modern World: Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga — Occult Philosophy

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Revolt Against the Modern World: Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga

Name: Revolt Against the Modern World: Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga
Price: 29.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780892815067

✍️ Evola, Julius

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A study of traditional civilizations and a critique of modern decadence in the Kali Yuga.

Evola surveys the rise and fall of empires, the soul of chivalry, and the hierarchical relationship between royalty and priesthood to illustrate what modern society has abandoned. Rather than offering conventional political solutions, he analyzes how the loss of the transcendent dimension of being led to ritualized meaninglessness. The text examines asceticism, initiation, consecration, and the two paths in the afterlife as key elements of ancient spiritual life.

Key Themes

World of Tradition Doctrine of the Castes Cycles of the Kali Yuga

Literary Context

Julius Evola wrote on ancient civilizations and esoteric traditions in both East and West. Published by Inner Traditions International in October 1995, this English translation brought his controversial twentieth-century social philosophy to a broader audience of English-speaking readers.

Evola, Julius

📚 all books by this author (9) →

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Mircea Eliade · Alain de Benoist · Guénon · Traditionalist School

🕯️

Occult Philosophy

Praise for this book

“Revolt Against the Modern World is destined to remain an essential work and frame-of-reference for anyone seriously involved in native European spirituality.”

— Michael Moynihan, Vortru

🏛 Inner Traditions International 📅 1995 📖 412 pages 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9780892815067

Fun Fact

Evola's "Revolt Against the Modern World" stands as a foundational text for anyone exploring Traditionalist thought and radical anti-modernism. It offers an unparalleled, deep-seated critique of our age, forcing readers to re-evaluate accepted notions of progress. While its uncompromising stance and dense philosophical arguments may disappoint those seeking easy solutions or conventional political analysis, it excels at providing a profound, albeit controversial, metaphysical framework for understanding civilizational decline. This book is not merely a historical curiosity but a challenging, persistent voice in esoteric literature.

📝 Description: Revolt Against the Modern World: Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga

Julius Evola (1898-1974), a controversial scholar and authority on esoteric traditions, presents a metaphysics of history grounded in Hindu cyclical time. Writing from the premise that the modern world occupies the Kali Yuga, the age of dissolution, Evola contrasts modern technocracy, consumerism, capitalism, and communism with the higher values of the world of Tradition. He draws on sacred literature, myths, and structures of Indo-European and Western civilizations to trace the corrosive forces acting on traditional beliefs and institutions. The text opens with a short introduction to the author, a translator's preface, and a foreword. Part One focuses on the World of Tradition across nineteen chapters, addressing topics such as Regality, Polar Symbolism, The Mystery of the Rite, and Spiritual Virility. Evola examines the Doctrine of the Castes, professional associations, slavery, and the distinction between The Greater and the Lesser Holy War. Across the work, he explores law, empire, Church history, racial theories, the doctrine of the two natures, and relations between the sexes. This title suits readers seeking an uncompromising critique of modern materialism or studying native European spirituality. Michael Moynihan of Vortru describes it as an essential work and frame-of-reference for serious students of that field. It does not suit readers looking for standard liberal or conservative political commentary.

📑 What's inside

Revolt Against the Modern World
Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga
A Short Introduction to Julius Evola
Translator's Preface
Foreword
Part One - The World of Tradition
1. The Beginning
2. Regality
3. Polar Symbolism; the Lord of Peace and Justice
4. The Law, the State, the Empire
5. The Mystery of the Rite
6. On the Primordial Nature of the Patriciate
7. Spiritual Virility
8. The Two Paths in the Afterlife
9. Life and Death of Civilizations
10. Initiation and Consecration
11. On the Hierarchical Relationship Between Royalty and Priesthood
12. Universality and Centralism
13. The Soul of Chivalry
14. The Doctrine of the Castes
15. Professional Associations and the Arts; Slavery
16. Bipartition of the Traditional Spirit; Asceticism
17. The Greater and the Lesser Holy War
18. Games and Victory
19. Space, Time, the Earth
20. Man and Woman
21. The Decline of Superior Races
Part Two - Genesis and Face of the Modern World
Introduction
22. The Doctrine of the Four Ages
23. The Golden Age
24. The Pole and the Hyperborean Region
25. The Northern-Atlantic Cycle
26. North and South
27. The Civilization of the Mother
28. The Cycles of Decadence and the Heroic Cycle
29. Tradition and Antitradition
30. The Heroic-Uranian Western Cycle
31. Syncope of the Western Tradition
32. The Revival of the Empire and the Ghibelline Middle Ages
33. Decline of the Medieval World and the birth of Nations
34. Unrealism and Individualism
35. The Regression of the Castes
36. Nationalism and Collectivism
37. The End of the Cycle
Conclusion
Appendix: On The Dark Age
Index

💎 Expert review

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💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Evola delivers a formidable intellectual assault on modernity, dissecting its metaphysical foundations with precision. While the analysis is undeniably rigorous and intellectually stimulating for those aligned with traditionalist thought, it demands much from the reader. This book does NOT suit those seeking comfort, validation of current social norms, or easy answers. It is not a guide for casual readers or those invested in progressive ideals. The uncompromising nature of its critique may alienate anyone unwilling to confront the harsh realities of spiritual erosion head-on. It remains a significant, albeit difficult, contribution to esoteric philosophy.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

This volume is essential for those seeking an uncompromising vision of spiritual revolt against the spiritual decline of the modern world. Readers who crave a profound challenge to contemporary society will find value in Evola’s meticulous dissection of its degradation. It appeals to souls weary of consumerism and individualism, offering instead a path of radical internal reorientation. By tracing spiritual erosion through history, it provides a framework for understanding humanity’s straying from transcendent order. Those interested in the metaphysical underpinnings of our era will gain a stark, clear-eyed view of the forces at play, urging a return to a primordial social order.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

If you question the prevailing narratives of progress and seek a rigorous, if challenging, critique of contemporary civilization, this book is for you. Readers interested in esoteric philosophy, traditionalism, and a profound re-evaluation of historical trajectories will find its insights…

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Evola delivers a formidable intellectual assault on modernity, dissecting its metaphysical foundations with precision. While the analysis is undeniably rigorous and intellectually stimulating for those aligned with traditionalist thought, it demands much from the reader. This book does NOT suit those seeking comfort, validation of current social norms, or easy answers. It is not a guide for casual readers or those invested in progressive ideals. The uncompromising nature of its critique may alienate anyone unwilling to confront the harsh realities of spiritual erosion head-on. It remains a significant, albeit difficult, contribution to esoteric philosophy.

❓ Frequently asked questions

While it critiques social and political structures, Evola's "revolt" is primarily an internal, spiritual rebellion against the values of the modern world, rather than a call for conventional political activism or reform.

The Kali Yuga, a concept from Hindu cosmology, denotes the darkest and most degenerate age in a cosmic cycle. Evola uses it metaphorically to describe the current historical epoch, which he perceives as being in a state of profound spiritual decline and loss of traditional values.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Critique of Modernity

Evola meticulously dissects the perceived failures of contemporary civilization, moving beyond superficial critiques of consumerism or technology. He argues that the modern world, in its pursuit of material progress and individual autonomy, has fundamentally severed ties with higher spiritual principles, leading to an inherent hollowness and lack of genuine meaning.

The World of Tradition

This theme explores Evola's concept of a pristine, pre-modern epoch characterized by sacred values, hierarchical order, and a direct connection to the transcendent. Drawing from Indo-European myths and ancient wisdom, he illustrates a lost golden age where life was imbued with spiritual significance, contrasting it sharply with the present state of decline.

Metaphysics of History

Evola presents history not as linear progress, but as a cyclical descent from a golden age, identifying the "Kali Yuga" as the current dark age. He unveils the hidden spiritual and philosophical shifts that have eroded higher values over millennia, demonstrating how these processes have gradually estranged humanity from its true transcendent nature.

📜 Historical context

Emerging from the intellectual ferment of early 20th-century Europe, Evola's work stands as a cornerstone of the Traditionalist school of thought, alongside figures like René Guénon. It draws heavily on ancient Indo-European lore, Eastern metaphysics, and esoteric doctrines to formulate a stark anti-modernist philosophy, positioning itself against the Enlightenment's secularizing influence and the rise of materialist ideologies.

📚 Glossary

Tradition
Kali Yuga
Metaphysics of History

📔 Questions to reflect on

Consider Evola's concept of the "World of Tradition." What aspects of modern life do you feel are most divorced from such a spiritual foundation?
How might a "revolt against the modern world," as Evola conceives it, manifest in one's personal life without engaging in overt political action?
Evola suggests history is a descent. What evidence do you see for this perspective, and what alternative interpretations of historical progression might exist?