Post-War Reflections of a Radical Traditionalist
Inner Traditions, 2002 (Gli uomini e le rovine, 1953)
Men Among the Ruins is Evola’s frontal assault on the predominant materialism of our time and the mirage of progress. For Evola and other proponents of Traditionalism, we are now living in an age of increasing strife and chaos: the Kali Yuga of the Hindus or the Germanic Ragnarok. In such a time, social decadence is so widespread that it appears as a natural component of all political institutions. Evola argues that the crises that dominate the daily lives of our societies are part of a secret occult war to remove the support of spiritual and traditional values in order to turn man into a passive instrument of the powerful.
Evola is often regarded as the godfather of contemporary Italian fascism and right-wing radical politics. Yet attentive examination of the historical record, as provided by H. T. Hanson’s introductory essay on Evola’s political life and theory, reveals him to be a much more complex figure. Evola viewed the forces of history as comprised of two factions: “history’s demolition squad,” enslaved by blind faith in the future, versus those individuals whose watchword is Tradition. The latter stand in this world of ruins at a higher level and are capable of letting go of what needs to be abandoned in order that what is truly essential may not be compromised.
Jan Olof Bengtsson 