This chapter discusses the life and work of the Italian philosopher Julius Evola, who started his career in Futurism and Dadaism. Philosophic studies followed. After serving in the First World War he turned to mountaineering, experimented with ether, and nearly committed suicide. Far Eastern religions and esoteric currents became his next interest. He was introduced to René Guénon’s idea of tradition, which became the source of his political and racial ideas. He met Mussolini and members of the SS, who remained skeptical. After the Second World War, Evola wrote and translated. His elitist, antidemocratic political tracts based on transcendent ideas at first brought him only a few followers, some of whom turned to terrorist acts. He died lonely and frustrated in Rome. His revival started only in the 1980s; since then he has become one of the most widely read thinkers of the radical Right.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.