The first book I ever read in a single sitting. Probably my favorite of Junger's work, of which I've read nearly everything. I'll be talking about it more on this substack for sure. Big fan of your work, too, so it's great to see this from you. Thanks.
Excellent piece. I have approached the same problem in a different way. Pru and I discussed this point. I agree with Gio that you must deal with a post modern world. The only way is through. This means coming to grips with the idea that there is no certain knowledge. This is not a denial of Truth, just that there can be no certainty that you have grasped it, or if you have, you have done so fully. I have written three, four, five pieces now on the subject looking at it from different angles. In the end, it is a crisis of authority that we face. Our age lacks authoritative voices, someone who can say, “Thus says the Lord.” Who can say what happened on Jan 6? Only the Man of Authority.
Perhaps, rather than looking for The Man of Destiny, we should be seeking The Man of Authority.
Hmm about the way out it is through, does that mean we need to embrace the cretinous simulacra of the urban "man?" Or perhaps there is another path, that of the "Forest Rebel," shown by Uncle Ted, Ivan Illich, Jacques Elul, Heidegger, Henry Miller, Junger, Wendell Berry, etc, etc?
There is a path. It is at its heart religious. Because the grand technical system sets itself up as a god, our first act of resistance is to bow to the living God.
I'm glad someone has made reference or is at least talking about Glass Bees.
This was a good piece, thank you for sharing it.
The first book I ever read in a single sitting. Probably my favorite of Junger's work, of which I've read nearly everything. I'll be talking about it more on this substack for sure. Big fan of your work, too, so it's great to see this from you. Thanks.
It will spread, I am reading it now, it's a brilliant work with a clarity of prose I usually don't find in Junger.
Excellent piece. I have approached the same problem in a different way. Pru and I discussed this point. I agree with Gio that you must deal with a post modern world. The only way is through. This means coming to grips with the idea that there is no certain knowledge. This is not a denial of Truth, just that there can be no certainty that you have grasped it, or if you have, you have done so fully. I have written three, four, five pieces now on the subject looking at it from different angles. In the end, it is a crisis of authority that we face. Our age lacks authoritative voices, someone who can say, “Thus says the Lord.” Who can say what happened on Jan 6? Only the Man of Authority.
Perhaps, rather than looking for The Man of Destiny, we should be seeking The Man of Authority.
Hmm about the way out it is through, does that mean we need to embrace the cretinous simulacra of the urban "man?" Or perhaps there is another path, that of the "Forest Rebel," shown by Uncle Ted, Ivan Illich, Jacques Elul, Heidegger, Henry Miller, Junger, Wendell Berry, etc, etc?
Yes, I believe so. This is our prime task now: to discern the shape and contours of that path.
Yes there is an anti tech alternative path or yes we need to embrace the simulacra?
There is a path. It is at its heart religious. Because the grand technical system sets itself up as a god, our first act of resistance is to bow to the living God.
Good plan.
You can't embrace the simulacra and ambiguous "truth" and the Wendell Berry path, it's a stark binary choice.