¶2 However, some have gone so far as to dispute whether the very division of humanity into East and West corresponds to any reality;1 but, at least for the present epoch, this does not seem to be open to serious doubt.2 First, that there exists a Western civilisation, common to Europe and America, is a fact upon which everyone must agree,3 whatever judgement one may otherwise pass on the value of this civilisation. For the East, matters are less simple,4 because there exist effectively not one but several Eastern civilisations;5 but it suffices that they possess certain common traits – those that characterise what we have called a traditional civilisation6 – and that these same traits are not found in Western civilisation,7 for the distinction and even the opposition of East and West to be fully justified.8 Now this is indeed the case,9 and the traditional character is in fact common to all Eastern civilisations, for which we shall recall – in order better to fix ideas – the general division we adopted previously,10 and which, although perhaps a little too simplified if one wished to enter into detail, is nevertheless exact when one keeps to the broad lines:11 the Far East, represented essentially by Chinese civilisation;12 the Middle East, by Hindu civilisation;13 the Near East, by Islamic civilisation.14 It should be added that the latter, in many respects, should rather be regarded as intermediate between East and West,15 and that many of its characteristics bring it even closer especially to what Western civilisation was in the Middle Ages;16 but, if one considers it in relation to the modern West, one must recognise that it opposes it on the same basis as the properly Eastern civilisations, with which it must therefore be associated from this point of view.17
←
→
apauruṣeya

Summary

Guénon responds to those who deny that the division between East and West corresponds to any reality. He affirms that the existence of a Western civilisation common to Europe and America is an indisputable fact. For the East, matters are less simple because several Eastern civilisations exist. However, they share common traits (those of a traditional civilisation) that are not found in the West, which fully justifies the distinction and even opposition between East and West. Guénon recalls his general division: the Far East (Chinese civilisation), the Middle East (Hindu civilisation), and the Near East (Islamic civilisation). He notes that Islamic civilisation is intermediate and close to the Western Middle Ages, but in relation to the modern West, it opposes it on the same basis as the other Eastern civilisations.

General notes

  1. division même de l’humanité en Orient et Occident — Rendered as ‘the very division of humanity into East and West’. Guénon’s assertion of a real division here opposes an abstract universalist thesis that would deny any relevance to this distinction. It is not a mere geographical convenience but a profound difference concerning the nature of the respective civilisations. ↩︎
  2. pour l’époque actuelle — Rendered as ‘for the present epoch’. This temporal qualification is crucial in Guénon: it is not an eternal or absolute division but a contingent situation specific to the modern cyclical period. The author thus suggests that this opposition may not always have existed nor necessarily last forever. ↩︎
  3. civilisation occidentale, commune à l’Europe et à l’Amérique — Rendered as ‘Western civilisation, common to Europe and America’. Guénon insists on the fundamental unity of modern Western civilisation, encompassing both Europe and America despite their secondary differences. This unity is for him an obvious fact that no one can reasonably contest. ↩︎
  4. Pour l’Orient, les choses sont moins simples — Rendered as ‘For the East, matters are less simple’. Unlike the West, the East does not present a single civilisation but a plurality of distinct civilisations. Guénon acknowledges here the complexity of what he calls the East, while maintaining that a profound unity gathers them together. ↩︎
  5. plusieurs civilisations orientales — Rendered as ‘several Eastern civilisations’. Guénon identifies three great Eastern civilisational areas: the Far East (China), the Middle East (India) and the Near East (the Islamic world). This tripartition recurs regularly in his work. ↩︎
  6. civilisation traditionnelle — Rendered as ‘traditional civilisation’. By this expression, Guénon means any civilisation founded on transcendent metaphysical and spiritual principles, where the temporal order is subordinated to the sacred order. It is the exact opposite of modern Western civilisation, which he calls ‘profane’ and ‘materialist’. ↩︎
  7. ne se trouvent pas dans la civilisation occidentale — Rendered as ‘are not found in Western civilisation’. The absence of traditional character in modern Western civilisation is for Guénon the decisive criterion of distinction. The modern West constituted itself precisely by a break with all tradition, whereas the East has preserved it. ↩︎
  8. justifiée — Rendered as ‘justified’. This legal and epistemological term indicates that Guénon does not merely assert a difference: he provides a rational demonstration of it based on the presence or absence of traditional character. The distinction is thus objectively grounded. ↩︎
  9. il en est bien ainsi — Rendered as ‘this is indeed the case’. An assertive formula by which Guénon concludes his demonstration. The author presents not a personal opinion here but a state of affairs he holds as objectively verifiable. ↩︎
  10. division générale que nous avons adoptée précédemment — Rendered as ‘the general division we adopted previously’. Guénon refers to one of his earlier works, probably ‘The Crisis of the Modern World’ (1927) or ‘East and West’ (1924), where he has already expounded this tripartition. Self-citation is frequent in his writing. ↩︎
  11. exacte quand on s’en tient aux grandes lignes — Rendered as ‘exact when one keeps to the broad lines’. Guénon concedes a margin of approximation to his classification, acknowledging that historical detail might require nuances. This methodological honesty does not for him invalidate the general soundness of the scheme. ↩︎
  12. civilisation chinoise — Rendered as ‘Chinese civilisation’. For Guénon, China represents the purest and most complete form of the Far Eastern tradition, with its Taoism and Confucianism understood as integral traditional doctrines, not as religions or philosophies in the Western sense. ↩︎
  13. civilisation hindoue — Rendered as ‘Hindu civilisation’. India occupies a central place in Guénonian thought as the repository of metaphysical tradition par excellence. He is particularly interested in the Vedanta and the doctrine of avatars. ↩︎
  14. civilisation islamique — Rendered as ‘Islamic civilisation’. Guénon, converted to Islam and taking the name ‘Abd al-Wâhid Yahyâ, considers Islam as the traditional form closest to the medieval West, whose heritage it has preserved. He insists on its esoteric dimension (Sufism) as much as on the exoteric. ↩︎
  15. intermédiaire entre l’Orient et l’Occident — Rendered as ‘intermediate between East and West’. This pivotal position of Islam is fundamental in Guénon’s analysis. Islam participates both in the East through its traditional character and in the West through its geographical and historical proximity to the medieval Christian world. ↩︎
  16. civilisation occidentale du moyen âge — Rendered as ‘Western civilisation in the Middle Ages’. Guénon establishes a radical opposition between the medieval West, still impregnated with Christianity as an integral tradition, and the modern West, which has broken with it. The comparison with Islam underlines that the rupture is not between East and West as such, but between modernity and tradition. ↩︎
  17. associer à ce point de vue — Rendered as ‘associated from this point of view’. Guénon concludes that, relative to the modern West, the Islamic world is resolutely Eastern. The relevant opposition is not geographical but doctrinal: tradition against anti-tradition. Islam, like India or China, belongs to the camp of tradition. ↩︎