Desert Fox
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Metaphysics of War: By Julius Evola
I initially planned to just write a simple book review on this book but i believe this deserves its own thread because it pertains to a category of its own, ie. the Metaphysical aspect of warfare in the context of the traditional worldview from the point of view of many ancient and current world religions.
The author of the book, Julius Evola, was an Italian traditionalist intellectual and philosopher. If you google his name you will find allot of misleading information about him due to the recent resurfacing of his name after Donald Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, cited him as one of his influences. But Evola has been dead for quite some time now (1974), yet despite this he has come back to haunt the Liberal world order from his grave. Liberals and leftists in the West are so panick-stricken that article after article has been written to smear Evola, though this has only stoked more public interest in the man and his work.
Julius Evola
But who was Evola? A artillery officer in WW1, a thinker, a philosopher, an expert on esotericsm, and a man of action who firmly acted on his own convictions, something of a rarity in our current age of men of chatter.
Metaphysics of War is Evola's take on the spiritual and more-than-physical aspect of warfare from the point of view of major contemporary world religions like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Japanese Shintoism as well as ancient world religions like Nordic/Germanic Paganism, Roman Paganism, Persian Zoroastrianism and the warrior code of the Samurai.
Evola shifts the lens away from the contemporary Liberal-Bourgeois view of warfare in purely physical-materialistic terms as simply masses of men and equipment and war itself as disdainful yet "necessary evil" (though one which the Liberal world order has not been hesitant to employ for the purpose of its own expansion over and over again), and more towards the spiritual and metaphysical aspect of warfare, one in which forces beyond the purely physical-materialist realm also take part and determine the outcomes of great struggles.
Metaphysics of War is a compilation of Evola's various essays he wrote on the subject of warfare during the tumultuous years of the interwar period, through the duration of World War 2 and into the post war years. Having witnessed the dissolution of European empires, creation of Democratic states, and then finally their dissolution at the hands of Communist movements and the rise of Fascism, particularly in Italy since Evola himself was an Italian, he gives a unique perspective of that world-historical era from the point of view of a Traditionalist and esotericist.
Despite his Liberal detractors accusing him of being a "Fascist", Evola was in fact critical of Fascism in many of his works during and after WW2. But despite this, he did view Fascism as Europe's attempt to restore the traditional masculine virtues of the warrior ethos in a Western civilization further sinking into spiritual decay and materialistic-consumerism, nihilism, and cult of "democracy" and "equality".
Why Evola Matters Today
Evola is long gone, but today in every major Western country strong currents of political change are once again shaking the sacred pillars of Liberalism as they once did during Evola's time. In the Liberal bastions, within the belly of the beast itself, movements like the European New Right, the Identitarian Movement and the American Alternative Right (more commonly Alt-Right) are the spearheads of this change. These movements have taken great inspiration from the works of men like Evola. Made up primarily of young men who grew up in an age of decadence and nihilism, ranging from veterans of NeoCon wars in the Middle East to intellectuals from American Ivy-League universities, from working class men to high school students concerned about their dwindling prospects for the future, showing an uncanny resemblance to the Nationalist movements of the 1920's, 30's and 40's and not unlike them at all in most aspects, only now backed by ease of communication & access of information due to technology like the internet which has served as a huge advantage in their service. In an age of Feminism, homosexuality, transgenderism (or "gender fluidity"), these men seek to rediscover the masculine ideals described by Evola.
But Evola is not only important to the West, he is also of significance to all nationalist and traditionalist minded individuals who seek to maintain their national identities and traditions, wherever they may be, in the face of global-capitalist mono-cultural encroachment which seeks to mold the entire world into a single consumerist culture of atomized individuals, boasting jeans, McDonalds, KFC and virtual-reality p0rnogrophy, devoid of any attachment to a purpose higher than the quick satisfaction of their immediate physical urges while an exclusive club of wealthy financial elites comfortably maintain their power over the herd of subservient humanity.
Although Metaphysics of War is an important work of Evola, it is not what he is most known for. His more prominent work includes Revolt Against The Modern World, Men Among The Ruins, and Ride The Tiger, to name a few.
This book, Metaphysics of War, along with Evola's other work can be purchased from Arktos and it is preferable to purchase it from them since they are the ones doing a great service to humanity by translating such work and making it available for all and the least we can do is give them their due credit so they can continue their services.
@Nilgiri @Psychic @Nefer @Vergennes @vostok