View from the Right, Volume I: Heritage and Foundations by Alain de Benoist


View from the Right, Volume I: Heritage and Foundations
Title : View from the Right, Volume I: Heritage and Foundations
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1912079763
ISBN-10 : 9781912079766
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 378
Publication : First published January 1, 1977

A Critical Anthology of Contemporary Ideas View from the Right was originally published in French in 1977, at the time that Alain de Benoist’s GRECE think tank was at the height of its influence. The book consists of a series of essays and profiles of various thinkers and figures who Benoist considers to embody the defining elements of the various strands of Right-wing thought. It immediately took the French political and intellectual worlds by storm, and in 1978 it was awarded the Grand Prize by the prestigious and historic French Academy. It continues to be regarded as one of the most important modern French works on political philosophy, and as being the fundamental statement of the principles of the New Right during its early years. This first volume in a three-volume translation by Arktos is an encyclopedic history of ideas that addresses the philosophical, spiritual, scientific, and cultural-historical foundations of the European heritage.

View from the Right, Volume I: Heritage and Foundations Reviews

  • Alex

    Although at times it feels a bit disjointed (being essentially a collection of many short articles), this work is extremely interesting and probably Alain de Benoist's most accessible book in English.

    View From the Right, Vol. 1 is not exactly a political manifesto. In fact, it can hardly be described as a political work in the conventional sense of the term. Many of the most compelling sections consist of explorations into scientific research illustrating subtly profound philosophical concepts rooted in Right wing axioms. De Benoist shows how examining a wide variety of phenomena from the Right can lead to exciting and suggestive insights.

    Subjects covered include pedagogy, psychology, biology, ethology, physics, and cosmology, as well as philosophy and history.

    De Benoist's vast multidisciplinary literacy is, as always, impressive. I found the style of this book to be more lively and direct than in his later works. The influence of Nietzsche is apparent throughout.

    Also of interest is the 2001 preface, which includes perhaps the most rigorous and nuanced attack on egalitarianism I've encountered.

    For those who've sensed that (to quote Jonathan Bowden), "Right-wing ideas aren’t just a bit of flag-waving and baiting a few Muslims," this book is a thought provoking introduction to the wide-ranging implications of these ideas.

  • Bjørn

    The book obviously marked by being written in the 70's, which is one of its weaknesses. The first 160 pages were really brilliant, but when going into the field of materialistic science it lost its spark. I am looking forward reading the sequels.

  • polusvijet

    Amazing collection of articles about a variety of topics and ideas from the realm of social science, natural science and the humanities. The chapters about ethiology and psychology were some of the most interesting texts I have read in recent times.