I just posted an in-depth review of "Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age by Eugene (Fr. Seraphim) Rose" on my website, and I think it will be of interest to those here. The whole thing clocks in at 7000 words, so pour yourself a cup of coffee.
You can read the rest here.
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Foreword
This will not be a typical book review. Were it a normal review, I’d tell you what the book was about, I’d select a few quotations from it, and then recommend that you purchase it for yourself. This will be far more extensive than that; in fact, what you’re about to read are my edited notes on the work. Were I to write this way about a self-help book, I could justly be accused of plagiarism – of giving away all their core ideas. But in the case of Fr. Seraphim I found a kindred soul who had seen the same things I have come to see in the world, thirty years prior to me, and working off of different sources. Much of what follows are words I’ve already spoken, but set to a different tempo.
This is a long essay, but shorter than the book. It follows the structure and focuses on the data points that Fr. Seraphim noted – but it is liberally sprinkled with my own observations, as well as updated examples from the past fifteen years – examples which affirm his predictions. It is a blending of both, and I hope you will attribute any wisdom you find to Fr. Seraphim, and any foolishness to me.
I heartily recommend the book, which was gifted to me by a friend who knew that I would find a kindred spirit within it. But ideas are more important than people, and I’m certain that the late Fr. Seraphim would rather your read this truncated riff off of his ideas, than read nothing at all.
Introduction
This book is about the dominant religion of our world: nihilism. It is about the fall of man away from God, first to the worship of ideals – and then machines – and then himself – and finally nothingness. It is about the inevitable consequences of abandoning God – the physical, the moral, the political, and the spiritual consequences – as well as an explanation of why these occur.
The nihilistic plan for this earth has been in official operation since the French Revolution (though its roots are more ancient than that – some of the roots are eternal), and it’s important to remember that all of us have been raised in a society in full grip of nihilism. We’ve been inoculated against God, and the emptiness of our times feels normal. It’s important, therefore, to reach out in as many ways possible, to rekindle that spark which God put inside of us. I am of an intellectual bent; so was Fr. Seraphim. So this call to your heart is through your mind. It explores the ontological, theological, political factors that have led to the current state of affairs.
The book is broken down into five chapters. The first is an ontological discussion of what truth is, and what nihilism is. The second describes the stages of nihilistic dialectic, how it progresses in the human spirit, and in society. The third describes the theological beliefs which arise from nihilism. The fourth explains the program which is being executed. And the final chapter discusses the ultimate teleology of nihilism.
You can read the rest here.