Ride the Tiger: Evola’s Path Through the Modern Crisis

Conservative Revolutionary Philosophers by Dr. Mike Du Toit

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The term “Conservative Revolutionary.”

The term “conservative revolutionary” was first used by the Berlin daily Die Volksstimme on 24 May 1848. It was made world-wide known by the German poet and essayist Hugo von Hofmannsthal during a speech at the University of Munich on 10 January 1927. The most comprehensive work on the conservative revolutionary tradition is the book by the Swiss Armin Mohler entitled Die Konservative Revolution in Deutschland 1918 – 1932 which was submitted to the University of Basel in 1949 as a doctoral thesis.

The conservative-revolutionary tradition arose as a reaction against the French Revolution of 1789. The French Revolution destroyed the political and economic order that had been established in Europe over many hundreds of years in a short period of time. It further broke up the human potential between “left” and “right” as well as between “progressive” and “conservative”. People could deal with the consequences of the French Revolution in one of three ways: First, to act reactionary, to try to restore the lost political and economic order.

Second, to accept the status quo, not to oppose the consequences of the French Revolution, but to resign themselves to it. Third, to retain the valuable content of the older traditions, but only if it benefits the community (thus in this sense conservative) and at the same time to do away with all worthless traditions and to accept new values if they prove to be beneficial to the community (thus in this sense revolutionary).

All thinkers who chose this third option can be typified as conservative- revolutionary thinkers. The two great forces that guide the conservative- revolutionary tradition are therefore the search for unity that follows the search for freedom and the search for unity that seeks to overcome all forms of dualism. By being both conservative and revolutionary, this tradition has overcome the old political dividing lines between “right” and “left” and created something new (a third direction) from the world of thought of both “right” and “left.”

Arditi Magazine, Issue No. VII is not a typical periodical—it is a provocative fusion of history, culture, and philosophy that challenges readers to think about identity, tradition, and the forces that shape modern society. With over 70 pages of content, Arditi is sure to please its readers.