Abstract

[Notes on the Traditionalist School's Understanding of Civilisation] In numerous works, Guénon characterises modern Western civilisation as an anomaly, asserting that all that is spoken of in the modem world as 'civilisation', all that one likes to think of as 'the civilisation' par excellence, could only be considered as a caricature of true civilisation. He contends that these forms do not really deserve the name of civilisation and, indeed, represent the very antithesis of true civilisation. When asked what constitutes 'true civilisation', Guénon highlights the necessity for each city or human society to adopt the 'Divine City' as a model in order to be considered valid from a traditional standpoint. Thus, this article aims to elucidate the traditionalist school's conception of civilisation by exploring their interpretation of what is meant by the 'Divine City'. Our exploration will not be limited to Guénon's “The Divine City” but will also encompass a reading of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy's article "What is Civilisation?", to which Guénon frequently refers in his article. Additionally, we will examine pertinent sections of Plato's Politeia, a work referenced by both authors in their discussions.