¶4 Now, here is how it is fitting to envisage things: the elite still exists in the Oriental civilisations, and, even admitting that it is increasingly reduced there in the face of modern encroachment, it will nonetheless subsist to the end, because it is necessary that it should be so in order to guard the deposit of tradition which cannot perish, and to ensure the transmission of all that must be conserved.1 In the West, on the other hand, the elite no longer exists at present;2 one may therefore ask whether it will reform there before the end of our epoch, that is to say, whether the Western world, despite its deviation, will have a part in this conservation and this transmission;3 if this is not so, the consequence will be that its civilisation must perish entirely, because there will no longer be in it any element usable for the future, because every trace of the traditional spirit will have disappeared from it.4 The question, thus posed, may have only a very secondary importance as regards the final result; it nonetheless presents a certain interest from a relative point of view, which we must take into consideration since we consent to take account of the particular conditions of the period in which we live.5 In principle, one might be content to point out that this Western world is, despite everything, a part of the whole from which it seems to have detached itself since the beginning of modern times, and that, in the ultimate integration of the cycle, all the parts must be found again in a certain way; but this does not necessarily imply a prior restoration of the Western tradition, for this may be conserved only in the state of permanent possibility in its very source, outside the special form that it has assumed at a given moment.6 We give this only as an indication, moreover, for, to understand it fully, it would be necessary to bring in the consideration of the relations between the primordial tradition and the subordinate traditions, which we cannot think of doing here.7 This would be the most unfavourable case for the Western world taken in itself, and its present state may lead one to fear that this case is the one that will actually be realised; however, we have said that there are some signs that allow one to think that all hope of a better solution is not yet definitively lost.8
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Summary

Guénon explains how things should be envisaged: the elite still exists in Oriental civilisations, and even if reduced by modern encroachment, it will subsist to the end to guard the deposit of tradition and ensure transmission. In the West, by contrast, the elite no longer exists; the question is whether it will reform before the end of the epoch, so that the Western world can have a part in conservation and transmission. If not, Western civilisation must perish entirely, having no usable element for the future. This question may be of secondary importance for the final result, but it has relative interest given our period. In principle, the Western world is part of the whole and must be reintegrated, but this does not necessarily require a prior restoration of Western tradition, which may be conserved at its source outside its special form. This would be the most unfavourable case for the West, and its present state suggests this may be realised, though some signs indicate hope of a better solution is not yet definitively lost.

General notes

  1. l’élite existe encore dans les civilisations orientales — Rendered as ‘the elite still exists in the Oriental civilisations’. Guénon affirms that the Oriental traditions (India, China, Islam, etc.) still preserve an authentic intellectual elite, although it is threatened by modern expansion. This elite has the mission of guarding the ‘deposit’ of tradition, that is to say the ensemble of knowledge and rites that must be transmitted to the future world. ↩︎
  2. l’élite n’existe plus en Occident — Rendered as ‘the elite no longer exists in the West’. Guénon observes the disappearance of any authentic intellectual elite in the modern Western world. It is not a simple diminution, but a complete disappearance. ↩︎
  3. le monde occidental aura-t-il une part dans la transmission — Rendered as ‘will the Western world have a part in the transmission?’. Guénon poses the crucial question: will the West, even if deviated, be able to participate in the conservation and transmission of traditional elements, or will it be totally excluded from this process? ↩︎
  4. périr tout entière faute d’élément utilisable — Rendered as ‘perish entirely for lack of a usable element’. If the West does not produce an elite before the end of the cycle, it will be able to transmit nothing to the future. Its civilisation is then doomed to a total disappearance, for nothing in it will be worthy of surviving. ↩︎
  5. intérêt relatif de la question — Rendered as ‘relative interest of the question’. Guénon nuances the importance of this question: from the point of view of eternity, the fate of the West is secondary; but for us who live in this period, it has practical importance. ↩︎
  6. conservation de la tradition occidentale comme possibilité permanente — Rendered as ‘conservation of the Western tradition as a permanent possibility’. Guénon envisages that the Western (Christian) tradition could survive not as a restored historical form, but as a latent possibility within the primordial tradition itself. Its external form could disappear without its essence being lost. ↩︎
  7. tradition primordiale et traditions subordonnées — Rendered as ‘primordial tradition and subordinate traditions’. Guénon refers to the sophia perennis (primordial, universal tradition) which is the source of all particular traditions (Hindu, Christian, Islamic, etc.). Subordinate traditions are expressions adapted to specific historical and cultural conditions. Understanding their relations goes beyond the scope of this study. ↩︎
  8. signes d’espoir pour l’Occident — Rendered as ‘signs of hope for the West’. Guénon alludes to what he mentioned earlier: growing dissatisfaction with the modern world, the persistence of certain religious traditions, etc. These signs guarantee nothing, but they leave a door open. ↩︎