¶9 We must now also address a warning to those who, by their aptitude for a higher understanding, if not by the degree of knowledge they have actually attained, seem destined to become elements of the possible elite.1 There is no doubt that the modern spirit, which is truly ‘diabolical’ in all the senses of this word, strives by every means to prevent these elements, today isolated and dispersed, from succeeding in acquiring the cohesion necessary to exercise a real action upon the general mentality;2 it is therefore for those who have already, more or less completely, become conscious of the goal towards which their efforts should tend, not to allow themselves to be turned away from it by difficulties, whatever they may be, that will arise before them.3 For those who have not yet reached the point from which an infallible direction no longer permits one to deviate from the true way, the gravest deviations are always to be feared; the greatest prudence is therefore necessary, and we would even willingly say that it must be carried to the point of mistrust, for the ‘adversary’, who up to this point has not been definitively conquered, knows how to assume the most diverse and sometimes the most unexpected forms.4 It happens that those who believe they have escaped modern ‘materialism’ are caught again by things which, while appearing to oppose it, are in reality of the same order;5 and, given the turn of mind of Westerners, it is fitting, in this regard, to put them particularly on guard against the attraction that ‘phenomena’ more or less extraordinary can exert upon them; it is from this that the ‘neo-spiritualist’ errors largely derive, and it is to be foreseen that this danger will grow worse, for the obscure forces that maintain the present disorder find there one of their most powerful means of action.6 It is even probable that we are not very far from the epoch to which this evangelical prediction refers, which we have already recalled elsewhere: ‘There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.’7 The ‘elect’ are, as the word indicates, those who form part of the ‘elite’ understood in the fullness of its true sense, and moreover, let us say on this occasion that this is why we hold to this term ‘elite’ in spite of the abuse made of it in the ‘profane’ world;8 these, by virtue of the inner ‘realisation’ to which they have attained, can no longer be seduced, but it is not the same for those who, having as yet only possibilities of knowledge within themselves, are properly only ‘called’; and this is why the Gospel says that ‘many are called, but few are chosen.’9 We are entering a time when it will become particularly difficult to ‘separate the wheat from the tares’, to effect truly what theologians call the ‘discernment of spirits’, because of the disordered manifestations that will only intensify and multiply, and also because of the lack of true knowledge in those whose normal function should be to guide others, and who today are only too often ‘blind guides’.10 It will then be seen whether, in such circumstances, dialectical subtleties are of any use, and whether a ‘philosophy’, even the best possible, will suffice to arrest the unleashing of the ‘infernal powers’;11 this is again an illusion against which some must defend themselves, for there are too many people who, ignorant of what pure intellectuality is, imagine that a merely philosophical knowledge, which, even in the most favourable case, is barely a shadow of true knowledge, is capable of remedying everything and of effecting the redress of the contemporary mentality, just as there are also those who believe they can find in modern science itself a means of rising to superior truths, whereas this science is founded precisely on the negation of those truths.12 All these illusions are so many causes of error; many efforts are thereby expended in pure loss, and it is thus that many of those who would sincerely like to react against the modern spirit are reduced to impotence, because, not having been able to find the essential principles without which all action is absolutely vain, they have allowed themselves to be led into impasses from which it is no longer possible for them to emerge.13
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Summary

Guénon warns those who seem destined to become elements of the possible elite, noting that the modern spirit strives to prevent them from acquiring the cohesion needed for effective action. He urges them not to be turned aside by difficulties, and advises great prudence, even mistrust, because the adversary can take unexpected forms. Those who believe they have escaped modern materialism may be caught again by things that appear to oppose it but are of the same order; he particularly warns against the attraction of extraordinary phenomena, which give rise to neo-spiritualist errors. He cites the evangelical prediction of false prophets who will show great signs, distinguishing the ‘elect’ who cannot be seduced from the ‘called’ who still only possess possibilities of knowledge. He argues that dialectical subtleties and philosophy will be useless against the unleashing of infernal powers, and that modern science, founded on the negation of higher truths, cannot serve as a means to rise to them. Many who sincerely wish to react against the modern spirit are reduced to impotence because they have not found the essential principles.

General notes

  1. avertissement à ceux qui sont destinés à devenir l’élite — Rendered as ‘warning to those destined to become the elite’. Guénon addresses directly those who, by their intellectual dispositions, could form the future elite. He warns them against the traps of the modern spirit. ↩︎
  2. l’esprit moderne est « diabolique » — Rendered as ‘the modern spirit is “diabolical”’. Guénon uses the term ‘diabolical’ in its Greek etymological sense: diabolos means ‘he who divides’ (from dia-ballein, ‘to throw across’, ‘to separate’). The modern spirit is diabolical because it divides and disperses spiritual forces to prevent them from uniting. ↩︎
  3. ne pas se laisser détourner par les difficultés — Rendered as ‘not to allow oneself to be turned away by difficulties’. Guénon exhorts future members of the elite to perseverance. Difficulties are inevitable, but they must not turn one away from the path. ↩︎
  4. l’« adversaire » prend des formes multiples — Rendered as ‘the “adversary” takes multiple forms’. Guénon means by ‘adversary’ the modern spirit (or the ensemble of forces that oppose tradition). It can disguise itself under spiritual or religious appearances to deceive sincere seekers. ↩︎
  5. le « matérialisme » se déguise en son contraire — Rendered as ‘“materialism” disguises itself as its opposite’. Guénon warns against disguised forms of materialism: superficial spiritualism, occultism, sentimental mysticism. These currents seem to oppose materialism, but they share its spirit (absence of true intellectuality). ↩︎
  6. les « phénomènes » extraordinaires et le néo-spiritualisme — Rendered as ‘extraordinary “phenomena” and neo-spiritualism’. Guénon criticises the attraction of Westerners to paranormal phenomena (spiritism, theosophy, etc.). These ‘phenomena’ are traps that divert from true spirituality and are used by the forces of disorder. ↩︎
  7. prédiction évangélique sur les faux prophètes (Matthieu 24:24) — Rendered as ‘evangelical prediction on false prophets (Matthew 24:24)’. Guénon cites Christ’s words in the Gospel according to Matthew (24:24 KJV): ‘For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.’ He applies this prophecy to the modern era, where false spiritual teachings abound. ↩︎
  8. « élus » et « élite » — Rendered as ‘“elect” and “elite”’. Guénon justifies his use of the word ‘elite’ despite modern deformations. He links it to the biblical sense of ‘elect’ (Greek eklektoi), those who are chosen for spiritual knowledge. The ‘called’ are many, but the ‘elect’ are few. ↩︎
  9. « beaucoup d’appelés, mais peu d’élus » (Matthieu 22:14) — Rendered as ‘many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14)’. Guénon cites another evangelical saying: ‘For many are called, but few are chosen.’ (Matthew 22:14 KJV). He distinguishes the ‘called’ (those who have potential dispositions) from the ‘elect’ (those who have effectively realised knowledge). ↩︎
  10. « distinguer l’ivraie du bon grain » et le « discernement des esprits » — Rendered as ‘“separate the wheat from the tares” and the “discernment of spirits”’. Guénon refers to the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and to the theological notion of ‘discernment of spirits’ (the capacity to distinguish good from bad inspirations). He foresees that this distinction will become increasingly difficult in the modern chaos. ↩︎
  11. les subtilités dialectiques et la philosophie sont impuissantes — Rendered as ‘dialectical subtleties and philosophy are powerless’. Guénon criticises those who believe that philosophy (even the best) can suffice to resist the forces of disorder. Only pure intellective knowledge (beyond philosophy) is effective. ↩︎
  12. illusion : la philosophie ou la science peuvent remplacer la connaissance intellective — Rendered as ‘illusion: philosophy or science can replace intellective knowledge’. Guénon denounces two symmetrical illusions: (1) believing that philosophy can replace traditional metaphysical knowledge; (2) believing that modern science can lead to superior truths, whereas it is founded on the negation of these truths. ↩︎
  13. les illusions conduisent à l’impuissance — Rendered as ‘illusions lead to impotence’. Guénon concludes that illusions (philosophism, scientism, neo-spiritualism) lead sincere reformers to failure. For lack of essential principles, their efforts are vain and lead them into impasses. ↩︎