Intellectualism, the abuse of reason, has destroyed man’s kingdom. The cause of the present trouble is rather a sickness of the mind than a breakdown of the body: the organs, abandoned to their own devices, soon become atrophied or hypertrophied and rapidly bring to naught the organism’s last attempts at resistance; no wonder, therefore, that a few intellectually-gifted people are beginning to wake up—and none too soon.

Some thoughts from the French artist Albert Gleizes, who brought the thoughts of Rene Guenon into the world of Cubism.

We dream of progress and our dream is becoming a nightmare. A dream implies a loss of lucidity brought on by great fatigue and the numbing of consciousness. We had good cause for feeling fatigued. For centuries we worked in the manner of men; even while in decline we struggled to preserve our nobility. Exhausted, we began to lose our heads; our waking hours were haunted by dreams; only the illusion of progress kept us alive. It was leading us peacefully towards death, stimulating our failing strength, supplying us with orthopaedic material. We cannot complain if is has served its purpose in bringing us to our goal.

If among the intellectuals there are some who accept death and do not seek salvation, they are at liberty to do so, but those who wish to be reborn must purify their souls.

To the despairing impulse which sees in the conduct of individuals or groups nothing more than subconscious or hyperconscious reflexes, is it not possible forthwith to oppose the value of conscience, the forcefulness of common sense, the happiness which springs from measured and direct action such as permits man to control himself and to claim the fruits of the tasks he has shouldered? The very fact that a contrast is possible, implies that both attitudes are legitimate; let us not deny to the former its rights, but rather let us accept the duties of the latter. In any case, they differ only in the different combination and application of identical values which, according to their point of departure, may either be heralds of death or bringers of life. Impenitent, intellectualism converts the dreams into a deadly nightmare; repentant, it awakes from its dreaming and allows Intelligence to resume command.