Evola Julius is a famous Italian philosopher, also known as esoteric. He showed himself in literature and political activity. A bright representative of integral traditionalism, he studied occultism and esotericism. Some researchers consider him one of the main ideologists of neo-fascism. It is worth noting that his works had a significant impact on representatives of the European far right, they inspired some terrorist organizations. Especially those that operated in Italy in the 70s.
Childhood and youth
Evola Julius was born in Rome in 1898. He was born into an aristocratic family. He is credited with German and Spanish descent. He studied at the University of Rome at the Faculty of Engineering. But he never received a diploma. He refused it, saying that he was convinced that the world is divided into people who know and have a diploma.
He participated in the First World War Evola Julius. It is known that he was an officer in the artillery unit.
Then, until 1923, he worked closely with magazines and other periodicals, was fond of painting. In this art has achieved some success. One of his works is now available at the National Gallery of Modern Art.
Around the same time, Evola Julius became acquainted with the works of the French philosopher Rene Guenon. He began to write articles for the magazine "Fascist criticism." It was then published in Italy by Giuseppe Bottai. He was one of the main theoreticians of corporatism, in the fascist government Mussolini became the Minister of Education. It was in this edition of Evola that he first published his work Pagan Imperialism, which was repeatedly criticized in Catholic circles.
Passion for fascism
At one time, Evola published his own magazine called The Tower. He managed to release ten numbers. After that it was closed. Already in the first issue, he said that the publication would uphold principles that are above any political level. This is a statement of the ideas of hierarchy, authority and empire in the broadest sense. Moreover, for him it was not important in which system these ideas were - fascist, anarchist, communist or democratic.
Since 1934, Evola has collaborated with the journal Fascist System. Until 1943, he leads a regular column entitled "Philosophical Diorama." The publisher of this magazine was Roberto Farinachchi, a member of the Great Fascist Council, ally of Mussolini.
In 1939, the hero of our article met in Romania with the leader of the local far-right political party Iron Guard, Corneliu Zelia Codrianu. Many believe that it was this trip that made a great impression on Baron Evola. He was delighted with the way the Iron Guard was organized, highly appreciated everything that he had done and said to Kodrian, whom his comrades called Captain.
Later, many of the ideas of the Romanian nationalist were directly reflected in the writings of Evola. In Captain, the hero of our article saw the Aryan-Romanesque type, which many sought to find.
Many philosopher biographers believe that in Kodryanu he considered a mystical leader who is able to establish any connection, up to a spiritual one, with ordinary activists. This movement was organized as a knightly order, it did not at all resemble a political party in the usual way. Evola conquered loyalty to Codrian of Romanian history and traditions, as well as his spiritual and racial worldview. All this turned the Eastern European leader into an ideal Leader, who was able to lead the elite through the ruins of the modern world.
Evola's life after the war
Evola found the end of World War II behind the analysis of numerous Masonic archives stored in Vienna. In the Austrian capital, he fell under a massive bombardment, received a spinal injury. As a result, his lower limbs were completely paralyzed.
Despite such severe injuries, he continued to write in the 50-60s. Julius Evola devoted many of his books to the analysis of the history of Nazism and fascism. At the same time, he strongly criticized modern society. He argued that the defeat of the countries of the Nazi coalition does not mean a rejection of the ideas of traditionalism.
Evola died in Rome in 1974. Right behind your desk, from where a beautiful view of the Yanikul hill opens. He was 76 years old. According to the will, the body was cremated, and the ashes were buried in a glacier on top of Monte Rosa.
"Pagan imperialism"
One of Julius Evola's programming works is Pagan Imperialism. This is a philosophical and political treatise, which was written in 1928. It is believed that this is one of the fundamental works of the Italian philosopher-traditionalist.
Initially, the book was published in Italian, and later was translated into many foreign languages. Including in Russian. The translation was done by the philosopher Alexander Dugin. Researchers note that this book of Julius Evola had a tremendous influence on supporters and adherents of traditionalism, and especially on the ultra-right, fascist movement.
In this treatise, Evola directly declares himself an anti-European, formulates the conditions for the existence of an empire, points out the obvious mistakes of democracy, explores the roots of a European ailment, and also discusses what might become a new European symbol.
Researchers noted that in this book Evola severely criticized modern Western values, accusing the West of being mired in sentimentalism, materialism and utilitarianism, as well as losing touch with the source of its own being, that is, with traditions.
Despite the fact that Evola himself later admitted that many of the ideas expressed in this treatise were exaggerated and ambiguous, he was not reprinted during his lifetime. "Pagan imperialism" is considered a classic monument of the traditionalists, contains the basic doctrines that have been disseminated by various authors. Sometimes adhering to opposing views.
"Hermetic tradition"
In 1931, Julius Evola writes a book, The Hermetic Tradition. In this work, he outlines the fundamental foundations of the theory and practice of Royal Art. For the esoteric Evola, this was an extremely important job. It is worth noting that it was the result of many years of research, as well as practical experiences of the author.
In them, he managed to combine the integral experience of his communication with all kinds of representatives of devotional organizations. Evola himself set up a lot of experiments, and also read a lot of specialized literature on this topic.
In the Hermetic Tradition, Evola, with his only erudition and striking intuition, considers alchemy in the broadest possible context as one of the magical disciplines. This view of things was inherent only to aristocrats in spirit and blood, to which the hero of our article related himself.
In this work, he manages to demonstrate the true essence of alchemy. In his opinion, it lies in the initiative path that leads to liberation from the conventions of human existence. The ultimate goal is to gain the royal crown of the hermetic adept.
"Rebellion against the modern world"
In Russia, the second most popular book by this author, after "Pagan imperialism", is another of his philosophical and political treatises "Rebellion against the modern world." Julius Evola divides this work into two parts - The World of Tradition and The Origin and Appearance of the Modern World.
The treatise was first published in Milan publishing house in 1934. It was later translated into most European languages. In full Russian, without cuts, appeared only in 2016. This work had a great influence on the traditionalist discourse, the neo-fascist movement.
In the first part of his work, Evola evaluates and compares the doctrines of traditional civilizations in his understanding. The author clearly indicates the principles by which you can recreate the image of the traditional form of human life.
He bases all this on the principle of the doctrine of two natures, and also introduces the concepts of metaphysical and physical orders. Evola talks in detail about caste, initiation, Empire. On all this, in his view, the traditional civilization of the future should be based. His ideal is a tough caste system following the Indian pattern.
In the second part of his book, Evola interprets history from the standpoint of traditionalism close to him. He begins with the origins of mankind, and ends with the modern concept of Darwin's theory of evolution. The popularization of this theory, in his opinion, is proof of the advancement of anti-traditional ideas in order to distort the initial knowledge, increase the decline in society and in each individual person.
A lot of attention in this treatise is paid to the Ario-Vedic tradition. Evola argues that it was on its principles that the foundations of religious and political institutions in ancient Indo-European societies were based.
Evola develops the ideas of Rene Guenon in this book. He also accepts the Hindu concept of the existence of the Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron Ages, considering modernity the dark age of Kali Yuga.
This work of Evola is of great importance. He got many ideas from Genon. But unlike the French philosopher, who preferred to observe the crisis of the modern world, having left Europe, Evola is going to actively resist the destructive processes that surround him. This position was reflected in the title of the treatise.
As Evola himself later admitted, his version of traditionalism was shaped by Nietzsche and his ideas about the superman.
In this book, he formulated a theory of caste regression. He stated that world civilization is degrading from male uranism to female tellurism. And the priests and warriors in India were originally one caste, which broke up as a result of the weakening of the masculine.
Awakening Doctrine: Essays on Buddhist Asceticism
At the height of World War II, in 1943, the Doctrine of Awakening: Essays on Buddhist Asceticism emerges from the pen of Evola.
Julius Evola in The Doctrine of Awakening reveals to the reader the basics of the ascetic system, which is described in more detail in Buddhism. The author believes that the teaching itself, founded by Siddhartha, is highly aristocratic. Asceticism in it acts as a science and a school of spiritual liberation.
He connects Asceticism with the great Tradition in which the kingdom of the spirit defines the material world. Evola aims to solve a difficult practical problem - to make this ascetic system accessible and clear to any modern person. And this is especially difficult, because, as Evola notes, modern society, like no other, is "as far from the ascetic perception of life."
The philosopher perceives modern society as the world of a feverish race in a vicious circle. Such quotes from Julius Evola help to better understand his ideas. To clear a place for a decisive vertical jerk, you need ascetic concentration. Moreover, this should not be an escape from the outside world, but only a means of freeing up forces for spiritual rebirth.
"Saddle the tiger"
Julius Evola wrote the treatise "Saddle the Tiger" in 1961. It is for those who are dissatisfied with the modern world and are already tired of entertaining themselves with the illusions of progress. But it is also suitable for those who waved their hands at the outside world for the sake of self-improvement and saving their souls.
In it, the reader will find the opinion that the world around him is far from being called the best possible. In writing this treatise, Evola aimed to help those who doubt that it is man who is the crown of creation for everything, but who does not find enough strength in himself to resist generally accepted stereotypes and beliefs, preferring to go with the flow. This book should encourage these people, help them change their position.
Julius Evola's Guide to Saddle the Tiger contains guidelines that will help those who are convinced that the human condition is only one of the possible ones. But at the same time it has a meaning, and life here and now is not a banal accident and not a punishment for a sin, but one of the stages of a long and long journey.
"Metaphysics of war"
Separate mention deserves the collection of articles by Julius Evola, "Metaphysics of War." All of them are united by one theme - the theme of war.
According to the author, above all material and physical consequences are spiritual consequences. In this regard, he discusses in detail the topic of the personal heroic experience of each individual person. For Evola, it is important to address the possible consequences of war for modern society, he is considering new forks of heroism, as well as racial aspects that could lead to armed confrontation.
Much attention in the "Metaphysics of War" Julius Evola devotes to the theme of the so-called "holy war". Arguing on this subject, he turns to the Indo-Aryan, Scandinavian and Roman sources.
Ultimately, Evola considers war as a means of spiritual transformation of man. It is the war, according to the author, that makes it possible to surpass oneself.
Empire of the Sun by Julius Evola
Another collection of Evola articles published in Russia is popular. It is called the Empire of the Sun. It contains his programmatic symbolic, political and metaphysical articles. The traditional strong Nordic spirit is clearly manifested in the discussion of the problems of our time.
The articles published in this interesting collection are devoted to traditional symbolism, the imperial idea, the racial issue and neopaganism.