¶5 There exist now, in the West, a greater number than is believed of men who are beginning to become conscious of what is lacking in their civilisation; if they are reduced to imprecise aspirations and to all too often sterile researches, if they even happen to go completely astray, it is because they lack real data which nothing can supply, and because there is no organisation that can provide them with the necessary doctrinal direction.1 We are not speaking in this, of course, of those who have been able to find this direction in the Oriental traditions, and who are thus, intellectually, outside the Western world; these, who moreover can only represent an exceptional case, cannot in any way be an integral part of a Western elite; they are in reality an extension of the Oriental elites, which could become a link between them and the Western elite on the day when the latter had succeeded in constituting itself;2 but it cannot, by definition as it were, be constituted except by a properly Western initiative, and it is there that the whole difficulty lies.3 This initiative is possible in only two ways: either the West will find the means for it in itself, by a direct return to its own tradition, a return that would be like a spontaneous awakening of latent possibilities; or certain Western elements will accomplish this work of restoration with the aid of a certain knowledge of Oriental doctrines — a knowledge which, however, cannot be absolutely immediate for them, since they must remain Western, but which may be obtained by a kind of second-degree influence, exercised through intermediaries such as those to whom we alluded just now.4 The first of these two hypotheses is very improbable, for it implies the existence, in the West, of at least one point where the traditional spirit would have been integrally preserved, and we have said that, in spite of certain affirmations, this existence appears to us extremely doubtful; it is therefore the second hypothesis that it is fitting to examine more closely.5
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Summary

Guénon observes that more Westerners than is commonly believed are becoming aware of what their civilisation lacks, but they are reduced to vague aspirations and sterile researches because they lack real data and any organisation to provide doctrinal direction. Those who have found such direction in Oriental traditions are intellectually outside the Western world and cannot form part of a Western elite, though they could serve as a link. The constitution of a Western elite can only come from a properly Western initiative. This initiative can take two forms: either a direct return to Western tradition, which is improbable as no integral point of preservation is known; or restoration through knowledge of Oriental doctrines obtained via a second-degree influence through intermediaries. It is this second hypothesis that requires closer examination.

General notes

  1. hommes conscients du manque de leur civilisation — Rendered as ‘men conscious of what is lacking in their civilisation’. Guénon observes that more and more Westerners feel the spiritual and intellectual void of their civilisation. Their unease is real, but they lack landmarks and doctrine to orient it. ↩︎
  2. les Occidentaux convertis aux traditions orientales sont un prolongement des élites orientales — Rendered as ‘Westerners converted to Oriental traditions are an extension of the Oriental elites’. Guénon distinguishes Westerners who have authentically adopted an Oriental tradition (like himself, to a certain extent) from Westerners who remain in their tradition of origin. The former are ‘extensions’ of the East, not members of a Western elite. They can serve as a bridge, but cannot be the Western elite itself. ↩︎
  3. l’élite occidentale ne peut être que d’initiative occidentale — Rendered as ‘the Western elite can only be of Western initiative’. Guénon emphasises that the restoration of the Western elite can only come from within the West itself. It cannot be imported from the East. This is the fundamental challenge. ↩︎
  4. deux hypothèses pour la restauration occidentale — Rendered as ‘two hypotheses for Western restoration’. Guénon distinguishes two possible paths: (1) a spontaneous awakening of the latent Western tradition (unlikely); (2) a restoration aided by indirect knowledge of Oriental doctrines, transmitted through intermediaries (Westerners already initiated into Oriental traditions). This second path is more realistic. ↩︎
  5. la première hypothèse est peu vraisemblable — Rendered as ‘the first hypothesis is unlikely’. Guénon dismisses the idea of a spontaneous awakening because there is no place in the West where tradition has been preserved intact. Contrary affirmations (notably in certain traditionalist Catholic circles) seem to him doubtful. ↩︎