¶8 We therefore think it opportune to declare further this: there are already now, in the Western world, certain signs of a movement that remains still imprecise, but which can and even normally must lead to the reconstitution of an intellectual elite, unless a cataclysm should occur too quickly to allow it to develop to the end.1 It is scarcely necessary to say that the Church would have every interest, as regards its future role, to anticipate such a movement, rather than to let it come to pass without her and to be constrained to follow it belatedly in order to maintain an influence that would threaten to escape her;2 it is not necessary to place oneself at a very elevated and difficultly accessible point of view to understand that, in sum, it is she who would have the greatest advantages to derive from an attitude which, moreover, far from requiring from her the least compromise in the doctrinal order, would have on the contrary the result of ridding her of every infiltration of the modern spirit, and by which, moreover, nothing would be modified externally.3 It would be somewhat paradoxical to see integral Catholicism realised without the concurrence of the Catholic Church, which would perhaps then find itself in the singular obligation of accepting to be defended, against assaults more terrible than any it has ever suffered, by men whom its leaders, or at least those whom they allow to speak in their name, would first have sought to discredit by casting upon them the most unfounded suspicion;4 and, for our part, we would regret if it were so; but, if one does not wish things to come to this point, it is high time, for those whose situation confers upon them the gravest responsibilities, to act in full knowledge of the facts and no longer to allow attempts that may have consequences of the highest importance to run the risk of being stopped by the incomprehension or ill-will of some more or less subordinate individuals — which has already been seen, and which shows once again to what extent disorder reigns everywhere today.5 We foresee well that we will be given no thanks for these warnings, which we give in complete independence and in an entirely disinterested manner; little does it matter to us, and we will none the less continue, when necessary, and in the form that we judge best suited to the circumstances, to say what must be said.6 What we say at present is only the summary of the conclusions to which we have been led by certain very recent ‘experiences’, undertaken, needless to say, on a purely intellectual ground; we do not have, at least for the moment, to enter into details on this subject, which, moreover, would be of little interest in themselves; but we can affirm that there is not a single word in what precedes that we have written without having maturely reflected upon it.7 Let it be well known that it would be perfectly useless to try to oppose to this philosophical quibbles that we wish to ignore; we speak seriously of serious things, we have no time to lose in verbal discussions that hold no interest for us, and we intend to remain entirely foreign to all polemic, to all school or party quarrel, just as we absolutely refuse to allow ourselves to be labelled with any Western label whatever, for there is none that suits us;8 whether this pleases or displeases certain people, it is so, and nothing could make us change our attitude in this respect.
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Summary

Guénon notes that there are already signs in the West of an imprecise movement that could lead to the reconstitution of an intellectual elite, unless a cataclysm occurs too soon. He suggests that the Church would be wise to anticipate this movement rather than follow it belatedly, as this would free it from modern influences without any doctrinal compromise or external change. It would be paradoxical if integral Catholicism were realised without the Church, leaving it to be defended by those its leaders had sought to discredit; to avoid this, those responsible should act now. He gives these warnings independently and will continue to say what must be said when necessary. What he says summarises conclusions from recent purely intellectual experiences, and he affirms that every word has been carefully considered. He dismisses philosophical quibbles and verbal disputes, refusing all Western labels, and will not change his stance.

General notes

  1. indices d’un mouvement vers la reconstitution d’une élite — Rendered as ‘signs of a movement towards the reconstitution of an elite’. Guénon perceives positive signs in the contemporary West: a growing unease, spiritual searches, dissatisfaction with materialism. These signs could, if properly directed, lead to the formation of an intellectual elite. ↩︎
  2. l’Église devrait devancer le mouvement plutôt que de le suivre — Rendered as ‘the Church should anticipate the movement rather than follow it’. Guénon advises the Catholic Church to take the initiative and support this movement of intellectual restoration, rather than wait for it to develop without her and be forced to follow it in order not to lose her influence. ↩︎
  3. l’attitude de l’Église n’exige aucune compromission doctrinale — Rendered as ‘the Church’s attitude requires no doctrinal compromise’. Guénon reassures the Church: supporting intellectual restoration does not mean renouncing its doctrine, but rather purifying it of modern infiltrations. Nothing would be changed externally. ↩︎
  4. paradoxe : le Catholicisme intégral réalisé sans l’Église — Rendered as ‘paradox: integral Catholicism realised without the Church’. Guénon evokes a paradoxical situation: the Church might refuse to support the intellectual restoration, and it would be realised despite her. The Church would then have to be defended by men whom she would first have suspected and discredited. ↩︎
  5. appel aux responsables de l’Église à agir avec lucidité — Rendered as ‘appeal to Church leaders to act with lucidity’. Guénon exhorts the leaders of the Church not to let subordinate individuals who are lacking in understanding or ill-intentioned hinder initiatives of great importance. Disorder reigns everywhere, and lucid decisions are needed. ↩︎
  6. indépendance et désintéressement de Guénon — Rendered as ‘Guénon’s independence and disinterestedness’. Guénon affirms his total independence: he seeks neither to please nor to serve particular interests. He says what must be said, whatever the reactions. ↩︎
  7. « expériences » récentes sur le terrain intellectuel — Rendered as ‘recent “experiences” on intellectual ground’. Guénon alludes to concrete attempts at intellectual restoration in which he participated or which he observed. He gives no details, but affirms the maturity of his reflections. ↩︎
  8. refus de la polémique et des étiquettes occidentales — Rendered as ‘refusal of polemic and Western labels’. Guénon refuses to enter into sterile philosophical debates and to accept the usual categories of Western thought (liberal, conservative, traditionalist, etc.). He places himself beyond these distinctions. ↩︎