¶1 One of the particular characteristics of the modern world is the schism that one notices in it between the East and the West.1 And, although we have already treated this question in a more specific manner, it is necessary to return to it here in order to clarify certain aspects and to dispel some misunderstandings.2 The truth is that there have always been diverse and multiple civilisations, each of which has developed in a way that was proper to itself and in a direction conformable to the aptitudes of a given people or race;3 but distinction does not mean opposition,4 and there can be a sort of equivalence between civilisations of very different forms, provided that they all rest upon the same fundamental principles,5 of which they represent only applications conditioned by varying circumstances.6 Such is the case for all civilisations that we may call normal, or again traditional;7 there is no essential opposition between them, and the divergences, if any exist, are only external and superficial.8 On the other hand, a civilisation that recognises no superior principle, that is not even founded in reality except upon a negation of principles,9 is by that very fact devoid of any means of understanding with others, for this understanding, to be truly profound and effective, can only be established from above,10 that is to say, precisely by what is lacking in this abnormal and deviated civilisation. In the present state of the world, we therefore have, on one side, all the civilisations that have remained faithful to the traditional spirit, and which are the Eastern civilisations;11 and, on the other side, a properly anti-traditional civilisation, which is modern Western civilisation.12
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hierarchyapauruṣeya

Summary

Guénon identifies a schism between East and West as a particular characteristic of the modern world. Although he has treated this question elsewhere, he returns to clarify certain aspects and dispel misunderstandings. He states that there have always been diverse civilisations, each developing according to the aptitudes of a given people or race. Distinction does not imply opposition, and different civilisations can be equivalent if they all rest on the same fundamental principles. This is the case for normal or traditional civilisations, between which there is no essential opposition. By contrast, a civilisation that recognises no superior principle and is founded on a negation of principles is devoid of any means of deep understanding with others, since such understanding can only be established from above. In the present state of the world, the Eastern civilisations have remained faithful to the traditional spirit, while modern Western civilisation is properly anti-traditional.

General notes

  1. scission — Rendered as ‘schism’. Guénon uses this term rather than ‘separation’ to indicate an active, deliberate rupture, not a mere difference. A schism implies a violent break within a prior unity, unlike a natural distinction that does not exclude harmony. ↩︎
  2. malentendus — Rendered as ‘misunderstandings’. Guénon refers to confusions between modernism and tradition, particularly the idea that all civilisations are equivalent on a horizontal plane. Instead, there is a vertical hierarchy: only traditional civilisations participate in the same metaphysical principle. ↩︎
  3. aptitudes — Rendered as ‘aptitudes’. This term refers to the traditional doctrine of castes or social functions, where each people or race possesses a specific nature (collective karma) that determines its legitimate civilisational form. Guénon here rejects modern uniformity. ↩︎
  4. distinction ne veut pas dire opposition — Rendered as ‘distinction does not mean opposition’. Guénon establishes a crucial distinction between organic diversity (conforming to tradition) and conflict. In traditional civilisations, differences are complementary, not contradictory, like the organs of a single body or the aspects of a single truth. ↩︎
  5. principes fondamentaux — Rendered as ‘fundamental principles’. These principles are metaphysical: the transcendent unity of Being, the hierarchy of degrees of reality, and the primacy of the spiritual over the temporal. Every traditional civilisation, whether Eastern or ancient Western, rests upon these pillars. ↩︎
  6. applications conditionnées — Rendered as ‘conditioned applications’. Guénon rigorously distinguishes the universal principle (immutable) from its particular application (variable according to time, place, and race). This is why Buddhism, Islam, or Hinduism can be ‘equivalent’ despite their divergent forms. ↩︎
  7. normales — Rendered as ‘normal’. The term ‘normal’ is here technical: it designates what conforms to the metaphysical norm, that is, to the traditional order. An abnormal civilisation is not merely different; it is deprived of a spiritual centre and deviated from authentic human nature. ↩︎
  8. extérieures et superficielles — Rendered as ‘external and superficial’. Guénon applies the scholastic distinction between essence (what makes a thing what it is) and accident (variable properties). Divergences between traditions are accidental; their essential unity resides in pure metaphysics, not in ritual or social forms. ↩︎
  9. négation des principes — Rendered as ‘negation of principles’. Guénon here targets modern materialism and rationalism, which are not a mere ignorance of metaphysics but an active rejection of it. This negation is the inversion of tradition itself: where tradition affirms the Superior, modernity annuls it in the name of an illusory human autonomy. ↩︎
  10. par en haut — Rendered as ‘from above’. A key expression: true agreement between civilisations cannot come from a political or cultural compromise (horizontal) but from a common recognition of the transcendent Principle (vertical). Without reference to this unique centre, dialogues remain superficial and quickly contradictory. ↩︎
  11. civilisations orientales — Rendered as ‘Eastern civilisations’. Guénon employs ‘East’ not geographically but symbolically: the East is the place of the rising sun, of spiritual light, in contrast to the ‘setting’ West where light declines. The East here designates any civilisation still attached to its traditional principles, including certain vestiges in pre-modern Europe. ↩︎
  12. antitraditionnelle — Rendered as ‘anti-traditional’. Guénon chooses this term rather than ‘non-traditional’ to indicate an active opposition. Modernity is not merely foreign to tradition; it constituted itself historically against it, notably through the Reformation, the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment, which systematically undermined spiritual authority. ↩︎