Reviews (22)

Not for the Faint-Hearted
Evola's masterwork has been rightly exalted as the gateway into not only all of his other work, but in fact the entire Traditionalist opus. In it Evola explains the myths, institutions, and principles which guided ancient civilizations and linked them spiritually to each other. It has been said many times, but I'll say it again; Evola is an erudite. His sweeping, imperious, and overwhelmingly knowledgable style may intimidate some, and the absolutely dry prose may bore others, but those who read with an alert mind and an open heart will be endlessly enriched by what Evola has to say.

Inane ramblings of a frustrated social conservative
Evola proposes that modern man's spiritual alienation is a result of civilization's abandonment of 'tradition,' IE heirarchy, sexual specialization, and distribution of power by classification based on primitive, non-scientific folk taxonomy. In fact, like Spencer and Huxley, Evola was a frustrated conservative who tried to explain his personal disgust with post-Enlightenment thought, liberalism and egalitarianism in an intellectual, logical light. His defense of the righteousness of privilege and social stratification fails, as intellectual history continues to prove. You might as well listen to Rush Limbaugh for a more coherent critique of the modern world and it's popular social 'values.'

Reviews (3)

More flash than substance
According to the forward, this work was originally an appendix to the first edition of Evola's masterpiece, Revolt Against the Modern World. Perhaps that explains the curiously disjointed nature of this book.

Despite Evola's obvious erudition, I repeatedly found myself wondering what his point was.

This book will be of value to advanced students of the grail legend. Beyond that, I would not recommend it to someone seeking an introduction to the subject.

The myth of the Holy Grail as a Medieval ideology
Baron Julius Evola is an Italian philosopher of the first half of this century. He claims to belong to the Tradition, a kind of intuitive Initiation, as opposed to the rationalist, scientific approach of the contemporay world. His other major works include Revolt against the modern world and The Hermetic tradition.

Evola's main idea is the promotion of the Medieval "Ghibelline" ideology, which is developed in this book (the original title is "the Mystery of the Grail and the Ghibelline Imperial idea"). Both the Ghibelline ideology and the history of the Grail are, according to Evola, based on ancient pagan North-European or Indo-Iranian myths (including the Hero-Warrior and the King of the World), which he opposes to the Semitic, "Guelf" ideology, which is represented by Christianity. Although Evola claimed not to support the contemporary fascist movement, it is difficult not to recognize some fascist themes in his theories (admittedly, some of those themes were very widespread in the later 19th century and early 20th).

In any case, his exposition of the myth of the Holy Grail in Medieval literature, and of its links with ancient myths and Medieval ideologies is very enlightening, even if you can disagree with some of his conclusions. The last part of the book discusses the Ghibelline heritage through the Templar Knights, the Rosicrucians and the Free-Masons. Evola shows how the latter have lost the traditional hermetic spirit of their origins after the French Revolution when they adopted modern positivism and materialism.

Reviews (2)

If you're serious about this subject...
The impressions of Hermeticism that have formed over many years of Jungian interpretations, Theosophical speculations and well-intentioned 20th century academic investigations will have to be looked at anew - and to tell the truth, pretty much discarded by anyone who encounters this book. It's really not an overstatement to say that Evola's work simply trumps other interpretations. His is not so much an 'interpretation' as much as it is a genuine teaching. The product of a pure, direct, and very deep experience of the material, The Hermetic Tradition offers the most lucid overall treatment that this often dizzyingly difficult subject has ever seen. Evola managed to do this somehow without "dumbing it down" for a broad public readership, and in doing so he has rendered us a tremendous and unparalleld service. As SPECIALIZED material, applicable to a SPECIFIC mode of percieving the world and one's place in it, with a SPECIFIC core spiritual discipline at it's heart, the Tradition of Hermeticism has been done justice by this book. Because of that, for some it will not be easy reading - even more difficult will be putting it's teachings to practice. But for those of us who, for all of our familiarity with the 'occult' Hermetic symbols and the 'psychological' operations of alchemy, are still left mainly un-transformed by such understandings, this book is for you. It cannot be recommended highly enough.

A text on Hermeticism which is itself a Hermetic Work!
Baron Evola, always controversial and provocative, is no less so here.Discussing many facets of the Magnum Opus ( 'Corrosive waters', and'Path of Venus' for instance) which are overlooked, misunderstood, or just plain ignored by other writers on the subject, this work should be consisered a necessary part of any Hermetic Library.Evola draws extensively from Greek, Latin, Arabic, and English language expositions of the Hermetico-Alchemic Art.The notes are impressive in their relevance and ability to increase the depth of qualitative comprehension.One could wish there had been a more comprehensive index.Be prepared to have cherished assumptions challenged and intellectual horizons broadened. Read with Evola's "Eros and the Mysteries of Love," and "The Mystery of the Grail."

Reviews (5)

Real Buddhism
This book, Evola's masterwork on Buddhism and probably his most "mainstream" book, is undoubtedly the single most informative document you can find regarding Buddhism, or what Evola terms the "Doctrine of Awakening". Many reviewers here express concern over Evola's use of the word "Aryan"- in order that he is not misunderstood, I will mention here that Evola's conception of race was very different from the stereotypical "zoological" racism of today (he believed in a "race" of the spirit which was much more important than the race of the body). Besides, he is simply clarifying what was a very important part of early Buddhism- the Doctrine of Awakening was and is intended for the "ariya", the nobles, the "kshattriya" warrior caste.

This aside, Evola's book is brilliant for several reasons. For one, he applies the same intense intellectual erudition which is common to all of his books. He is completely sincere, and absolutely nobody could possibly come away from this book believing that Evola was dishonest, whatever their other conclusions. In addition to the benefits of Evola's remarkably clear and lucid style, we have the actual book itself- "The Doctrine of Awakening" clears away the bramble which has grown up around Buddhism. Besides destroying "New Age" interpretations of Buddhism, which are pretty much based on prejudices which westerners have held since the 19th century (according to which Buddhism is an atheistic and humanitarian doctrine which aims at complete non-existence to escape from "suffering"), Evola also shows that the later "theological" interpretations, such as Tibetan "Mahayana" Buddhism, misunderstand the true spirit of the original Doctrine. Any student of Buddhism should own this book- it is probably the only one you will need on the subject.

An interesting treatise on Buddhism
One of the reviewers said that this is Fascist Buddhism.While some of the views of the book (particularly the Aryanrace view) in my opinion are questionable, DO NOT THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER!This is an interesting book.I am certainly not of Aryan origin and I got plenty of worthwhile things out of this book.The spiritual/awakening elements of this book really got me thinking.And even if you don't agree, this book is a fascinating read.Again, be discerning, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.I also think, personally from a non-race perspective, that Evola is somewhat right that with the state of the world as it is, few people of ANY racial stripe can walk this path.Is that elitist?Maybe so on the surface.But just take a cursory glance at the people and world around you....

Fascist Buddhism
I first noticed Evola's work on Amazon.com when I found his name coming up repeatedly in the "Customers who Bought this Book also Bought..." section when I reviewed a book by an author that I liked, such as Rene Guenon or Frithjof Schuon.Since he obviously appealed to people with interests like mine, I decided to give him a try.

Since there are so many glowing reviews on line for Evola's work, I suspect that this book may not be the best introduction to him.It was written during World War II, when Evola's was very much still a hard-line apologist of Mussolini's regime.As such, the fascist rhetoric is rather thick at times.

I would like to say that I could treat Evola's Aryan falderal as mere window dressing and distill out the wisdom between the lines, but I found that the effort was too much for me.Evola believed that at its inception Buddhism was a renewal of the original Aryan religion, encouraging a belief in one's own ability to break through to liberation.As such it is inherently better than other religions, whether it be Christianity, which we would be led to believe relies on lukewarm pieties that sap an individual's inherent virtue, or Islam, which substitutes obscurantism and a herd instinct for a genuine approach to reality, or even Mahayana Buddhism, with its emphasis on showing benevolence to beings that are obviously inherently inferior to real Aryans.

The conclusion I came to was that Evola "discovered" Buddhism, liked what he saw, and developed a rationale of it to suit his overall Weltanschauung.His claim that early Buddhism resurrected the Vedic religion (i.e., the religion of the original Aryans) strikes me as nothing so much as a piece of revisionist history.

Isbn: 1558183299
Sales Rank: 566301
Subjects:  1. Buddhism - Zen    2. Religion    3. Religion - World Religions   

Reviews (29)

Civilizations age just like living beings do...
The theory of Spengler is as follows: Historical comparison of cultural formation, of governments, of civilizations, of art, architecture and music, of mathematics, science, philosophy, revolutions and control, of formations, destructions and deteriorations of societies and cultures; are thus interpreted to have a similarity with biological structure. Just as a sentient being is born, forms, grows, molds, progresses, digresses, deteriorates, ages, decays and dies, so it is with cultures and civilizations. In this case, a culture in its childlike creative ability solidifies into non-creative matter, stagnant, authoritarian and brittle and then dies.

"The Decline of the West" is a major opus, indeed a masterwork, with a dense text full of mew terminology and new concepts. The fact that Dr.Spengler discovered a true existence of a living form in the history- and life-cycles of civilizations has been deliberately ignored by critics. Dr.Spengler in his work definitely belongs to the realm of the modern "TABOO," and precisely uncovers all the important facts and ideas, that our "accepted" intellectuals of the day DARE NOT touch upon, and prefer to avoid and misinterpret and misrepresent Dr.Spengler's thought and observations - for these are all too unnerving to them and too uncomfotably revealing about the character and direction of the times we live in. Unfortunately, and despite the book's popularity, the Decline of the West has made little impact on academic thought, which remains, at root, as shallow as it was a century ago.

One example, which I think has clearly been borne out by current events: in the aftermath of WWI, where armies with troops numbering in the millions were often too small, Spengler predicted that armies of our time would number in the hundreds of thousands, and that these small, war-keen armies were meant to be used. Everything that is happening in the world today, from American response to 9/11, to pornography, to the professionalization of sports, to families not eating dinner together, is elucidated by Spengler's theory. He stated that not only was the world in which he exist barren of all impressive spiritual form and style and predicted that it must and would remain so and it has. Spengler's basic point - that western Culture attained its highest cultural glories three centuries ago, and has been plummeting into a chaotic, irreligious stew of materialistic formlessness ever since, remains indisputably true. People living in the West, and particularly America, would do well to read this moving piece of literature. It might help dispell once and for all the casual attitude which assumes that "this" is infinite.

The best analogy is a scene from The Matrix: Morpheus offers Neo two pills. The red pill will reveal the world as it truly is, which very few people actually see. The blue pill will take Neo back where he was, still fooled by the Matrix, oblivious to reality. The Decline of the West is the red pill.

Interesting contrast with our time
There is no doubt about how Spengler defined the West:In terms of race.Not religion or democracy or capitalism or any other sort of philosophy.On the TV and magazines and such of the 21st century "The West" is variously defined in terms of liberalism, democracy, sexual expression, multi-culturalism, fee-market economics--anything exceptSpengler's definition.

In the early 1920s, before Hitler was heard fromand after WW I, Spengler wrote a little article in which he stated his definition of The West, gave an appraisal of its then current health and gave a prescription for its survival.He said in this article that the German defeat in the Great War (WW I of course) was the first great step in the decline of the West via its subordination to the "colored world".Spengler stated that the SINGLE hope for the survival of the West was "The Prussian spirit, not only in Germany but in other countries as well."He went on to say that the "next war" would determine whether the West lived or died.

It is, looking back, as if Spengler wrote the history of WW II in advance, with the ending he seems to have expected but not wanted, omitted.It is interesting to ask the degree to which Roosevelt, Churchill and Hitler were aware of themselves playing out roles inSpengler's vision, with hopes of saving or destroying the West as Spengler defined it.It is tempting to think so.British and American war policy, the fire-bombing of Dresden as the best bit of evidence, seems specifically bent upon destroying Spengler's West.It seems, on the other hand, that Hitler's extreme rish-taking was driven by a vision that now was the time to save the West, which would be soon destroyed if not now preserved for the years to come. Spengler's race-based view of decline appears to be the rotting away of the "Transendental Aesthetic" to use Kant's term.

The presence of large numbers of non-Europeans in London and Amsterdam today seems to support Spengler's argument in the article I cited, but as an overall theory about the decline of Civilizations Toynbee's "Nemesis of Creativity" (control over creativity being in hands not supportive of the civilization)seems more generally appealing than Spengler's biological model.Perhaps they are both right. Or both wrong.

Reviews (12)

Objective History at Last!
Usually books and movies dealing with the subject of nazism or any sort of "racism" is treated with childish ridicule.The strong politically correct movement has tried to cover up everything positive about racialism.In doing so they have caused interest in people like me that don't like being told what to do or think.Thank god there still are objective historians like Goorick-Clarke; but they are a dying breed.

not worth the paper it's printed on!
The back cover claims this book to be a study, but information is only given and not analyzed or "studied", the information given, if concerning Savitri Devi (SD) is taken directly from her own books or does only very indirectly, around many corners, concern her.
The author keeps calling her pagan beliefs "amoral" (of course they are, i.e. not fitting Christianity), SD's religious beliefs are portraied as only serving political ends, and the last chapter is a general, rough summary of all the bad things that various left/green/right/ufo/new age/satanist etc. groups have perpetrated, or tried to, over the last 30 years.
Conclusion: Information given can easily be obtained freely by using an internet search enginge, and money spent on this book is lost money.

Reviews (35)

A Neccessary Springboard for Further Study
If one is not acquainted with the foundational tenets of analytical psychology, reading Carl Jung can be a daunting task. Similar to any school of thought, Jung's depth psychology has its own unique language, and understanding these specialized terms is essential to grasping even a small portion of the subject. In Jung's later years, he dreamed of speaking to a multitude of people about the collective unconscious and its symbols. This dream proved to be very important to the old doctor because he sincerely believed that modern civilization was coming to an end and thought it a dire necessity that his work be understood by the wider public in order for a kind of "collective-psychic-healing" to begin. In the end, he at least wanted the "educated layman" to have a fundamental understanding of the mind. Man and his Symbols is a successful attempt towards this goal.

Dr. Jung dictated part one of this book, "Approaching the Unconscious". For the most part, however, this is a collaboration of Jungians writing on the subject's most basic tenets, such as the nature of the unconscious, the collective unconscious and its dreams and symbols.

In part two, "Ancient Myths and Modern Man", Dr. Joseph L. Henderson elaborates on historical symbols as archetypes, including the Hero myth and the Archetype as Initiation that has been seen and experienced throughout the ages.

In part three, the famed Jungian, M. L. von Franz, explores `The Process of Individuation", explaining the psyche's natural evolution towards a state of uniting its opposites and becoming whole. Franz details this abstract process in very simple terms, revealing the ultimate goal of all therapies: balance, wholeness and responsibility.

Aniela Jaffe, another one of the original Jungian's, in part four, expounds on the nature of the symbol in the visual arts. This is a revealing chapter as it illustrates how so many similar symbols have appeared in art throughout the world over thousands of years.

Jolande Jacobi, the famed Jungian analyst, in part five, relates the methods of Jungian analysis in terms of the importance of dreams and symbols.

Lastly, von Franz concludes with a brilliant essay on "Science and the Unconscious", summarizing the entire book, and emphasising the importance of symbols and the unconscious and their on-going interpretation in the effort to understanding ourselves.

As was the old doctor's wish, Man and his Symbols opened Jung's work to a wider public. It is an ideal text for anyone interested in analytical psychology, as it explains the subjects at times abstract notions of the mind and the psyche's relation to the world in highly accessible terms. It provides the necessary basics for a general understanding and is a perfect springboard for further study.

A fine, insightful introduction to Jung
As previous reviews have noted, this is not a comprehensive overview of Jung's work. But it is a perfect introduction to some of his most important concepts, with an initial essay by Jung himself & several more by key figures of Jungian thought & work. By directing their focus to very specific points, these essays illuminate Jung's ideas in a clear & accessible way, particularly for the lay reader, for whom this volume was intended.

If there's any one theme, it's that of the Symbol: its power, its manifestations, its meaning to the individual. I especially like Aniela Jaffe's "Symbolism in the Visual Arts," which looks at the appearances & continual re-appearances of powerful spiritual symbols through the history of art, illustrated by the work of many fine artists; and also Joseph Henderson's "Ancient Myths and Modern man," which demonstrates how primal symbols, far from being part of humanity's past, are still quite present & working within the psyche of contemporary culture. But every essay is well worth reading & re-reading.

Jung's goal with this volume was to provide a primer of sorts, a beginner's guide to the riches & mysteries of the human psyche. In this he succeeded -- I can't imagine anyone reading this book & not coming away with a deeper appreciation & better understanding of the inner universe. Highly recommended!

Reviews (38)

An autobiography of Jung's psyche...
In the early pages of his autobiography, Jung says the most important things in his life were not the actual events that occured, but rather his psychic or unconscious life (I am paraphrasing).This book is a look at that internal life.And in sooth, there were many times during the reading of this book that I said to myself: Jung was a complete looney tune!Well, perhaps (there is speculation that at one point he suffered a nervous breakdown).But I have read and continue to read Jung with great fascination and to significant personal elucidation.I found this book to be a most enlightening direct, rather than academic or theoretical, glimpse at the psyche... highly recommended for seekers.

A book about his enlightenment not for finding your own
I am a bit conflicted over this book. On the one hand I am a great admirer or Jung - he has brought a lot to my life. His writings on and abotu Gnosticism and his Answer to Job are some of the most spiritual-awakening things I have ever read. Yet, this book I just didn't find as enlightening as these other works. Don't misunderstand - I liked it but found myself a little bored at times. However (let the contradictions cease!!) I liked the format of this book as autobiogrpahy more than most of the others I have read. I would recommend this to people who want to know about him and the way he thinks (the way he became enlightende) but I would recommend some of his others book for those looking to be enlightened!
Thanks

Editorial Review

The angry ranting of an obscure, small-party politician, the first volume of Mein Kampf was virtually ignored when it was originally published in 1925. Likewise the second volume, which appeared in 1926. The book details Hitler's childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the desire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. It also includes Hitler's racist agenda and his glorification of the "Aryan" race. The few outside the Nazi party who read it dismissed it as nonsense, not believing that anyone could--or would--carry out its radical, terrorist programs. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book. By the time Hitler became chancellor of the Third Reich in 1933, the book stood atop the German bestseller lists. Had the book been taken seriously when it was first published, perhaps the 20th century would have been very different.

Reviews (25)

Levelling the play field....
Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679) was born in England, a country that endured great political turmoil during his life. Having lived through that, Hobbes' main aim was to inquire into the basis of order. The question he asked himself was "What kind of political authority will prevent the return of chaos?". And the answer to that question is in this book, "Leviathan" (1651).

The Levianthan is the personification of total power, an authority without limits, created by men who realise that absolute power given to a powerfull ruler (or to an assembly) is their only way out of the dangers of the state of nature.The name that the author chose for his monarch is quite telling: the Leviathan is a sea monster that appears in the Bible and symbolizes power. This kind of monarch seems like an extreme solution for the problem of anarchy, but it is the only one that Hobbes found. Without the Leviathan, life is 'solitary, nasty, brutish, and short.'

Of course, this book includes many more things than those I have already mentioned. For instance, it explains quite well Hobbes opinion regarding human nature (man is naturally a wolf to men), the state of nature (perpetual war of all against all), the origin of political institutions and the relationship between reason and force (pacts without swords are merely words), among other things.

On the whole, I think this book is a classic of Political Philosophy, and I recommend it as such. Despite that, I think a word of caution is in order, so you will be prepared for what you will find when you tackle "Leviathan". Truth to be told, sometimes Hobbes' prose is too dry, and in some chapters you will need to plod through some rather arid pages. Moreover, this book isn't written in modern English, what makes it more difficult to understand. Those are the reasons why I give this book four stars instead of five...

Notwithstanding that, I believe that "Leviathan" is well-worth the effort of reading it, simply because it has some interesting concepts that you should be aware of, even if you don't agree with them. The only way to discuss in a level play field with someone who has totally different ideas is to understand his arguments thoroughly, even if his position seems completelystrange to you. I invite you to do that with Hobbes, reading "Leviathan".

Belen Alcat

The essential problem of cooperation
The basic question of the social sciences is how humans manage to get along.Without cooperation, there would be no such thing as society (and so no social sciences, philosophy, history, etc.).Hobbes was the first political theorist to tackle this question.

While Hobbes is long-winded in parts, and his spelling and grammar not consistent with modern standards, this book is still worth reading.Alfred North Whitehead quipped that the entire history of western political philosophy consists of footnotes to Plato.I respectfully differ, as I believe Plato is now studied purely for historical interest (nobody takes seriously his ideal of a 3 class society led by philosopher kings). Hobbes, however, is the root from which all subsequent western political philosophy has sprung.Locke's Treatises were a direct response to Hobbes, and helped solidify the social contract tradition.Nowadays, nearly all western political theorists either accept social contract theory, or at least have to discuss it in-depth in order to show why they reject it.

Hobbes examines the fundamental issue of "how do humans manage to get along peacefully?"In an age of terrorism, serial killers and vicious divorce battles, it's still a good question.Obviously humans do get along together most of the time, but that doesn't make it obvious why or how we do.

You don't have to accept Hobbes's ideas to get a lot out of this book.His stark contrast in describing the alternatives available to humans is unparalleled.While evolutionary theory has gone a long way toward scientifically explaining some types of cooperation, it still hasn't fully explained how strangers in a large society manage to cooperate when, in strictly rational terms, it would be advantageous to screw each other over.So if Hobbes didn't satisfactorily answer the question either, he at least made a very compelling argument.

Hobbes is a lot smarter than I am
I finished reading Leviathan a couple months ago, but cringed every time I thought about writing a review.The book is large at over 700 pages and covers so much ground, a review would have to be a book in itself to do it justice.Due to Leviathan's philosophical content and somewhat antiquated language, it's very slow going.Each page needs time to digest.

So I'm not going to bother writing a real review.I will just say that Leviathan is a 5-star classic and worth your time, if you can deal with reading political philosophy.Hobbes divides the work into four major sections:

Of Man, in which he discusses human nature and why civilized people prefer peace to war.Here Hobbes establishes the primary reason that people form a government to rule over them: to safeguard them from enemies, both external and internal.

Of Common-wealth, in which Hobbes first talks about the several forms of government and the pros and cons of each.He then explains the rights that a government has over its people; according to Hobbes, the government can do pretty much anything it wants to.Finally he goes into the things that tend to weaken or dissolve a government.

Of a Christian Common-wealth, the longest section, in which Hobbes accepts the Bible as the word of God and quotes from it numerous time to bolster his position in support of a powerful government.

Of the Kingdome of Darknesse, the shortest and strangest section, in which Hobbes veers away from the topic of government and instead focuses on religious practices and beliefs of the day that he deems improper and inconsistent with the Bible.

It took me months to read this, but I came away with great respect for Hobbes and a better understanding of politics.I can't say that I agree with everything I read, but I think the majority of his arguments are sound and convincing.

Reviews (22)

To Kevin Pfeffer
"If one knows little of physics, of the "quantum" flavor or otherwise, reading this book is no way to start addressing such a deficiency. Why? Because neither does Wilson. (The same should be said about his knowledge of psychology.)

Those who rate this book highly I can only suppose are they who have not studied enough to recognize immediately how little Wilson has to say that is either new, correct, and/or not misguided. I finished the book for no other reason than that (a) I figured it had to get better (It didn't.), and (b) I was traveling and got bored (a condition not addressed in any way by this book).

That Wilson uses his book to demonstrate, with truly sickening repetition, his outright contempt for Catholics and unveiled hatred of conservatives (No doubt there are others on his list of those to be hated.) tells us everything that tolerant and open-minded people need to know about the author. Even if Wilson had the academic creditials reasonably needed to write a book such as this (He doesn't.), his bigotry alone would make clear that one should expect to find no real "science" in this rambling book. And there ain't any."

I am surmising that you're a catholic/christian conservative republican, eh?

a mostly childish little rant
If one knows little of physics, of the "quantum" flavor or otherwise, reading this book is no way to start addressing such a deficiency.Why?Because neither does Wilson.(The same should be said about his knowledge of psychology.)

Those who rate this book highly I can only suppose are they who have not studied enough to recognize immediately how little Wilson has to say that is either new, correct, and/or not misguided.I finished the book for no other reason than that (a) I figured it had to get better (It didn't.), and (b) I was traveling and got bored (a condition not addressed in any way by this book).

That Wilson uses his book to demonstrate, with truly sickening repetition, his outright contempt for Catholics and unveiled hatred of conservatives (No doubt there are others on his list of those to be hated.) tells us everything that tolerant and open-minded people need to know about the author.Even if Wilson had the academic creditials reasonably needed to write a book such as this (He doesn't.), his bigotry alone would make clear that one should expect to find no real "science" in this rambling book.And there ain't any.

Reviews (17)

My bible
Can I just bring your attention to www.cosemporium.com, which is where I got my version of the book for roughly $30 Australian dollars. This is absolutely a great price for the best book in history, and it beats the 89$ asked on this site.

I guess this post will get deleted if the Moderators read it, until then get it there.

Might is Right!
Rumored to be ghostwritten by the great Jack London, (it probably wasn't) plaigarized from word for word by the Jewish con man Anton Lavey in various parts of his "Satanic Bible", written in a way that is basicly a book length rant, Might is Right ranks as what is probably my favorite "philosophy" book.

Even though in a passage or two Redbeard hails Thor as a God to be admired and emulated this book more or less takes an athiestic stance, but other than the athieism I can agree with most of what is in Might is Right, especially the rants about the uselessness and wretchedness of the masses of people who through their cowardice and stupidity really don't deserve anything better than the mental and physical slavery that their lives are. Good stuff on the utter insanity of the Christian idea of loving ones enemies and turning the other cheek, as well as accepting a deity outside your own culture as your own. Some of the "Social Darwinism" ideas in MiR go a little overboard but for the most part I think they are correct, because after all, whether you like it or not, Might is Right.

This is NOT the version you want
There is a different version with an introduction by Anton laVey, trust me, spare yourself the white supremacist's introduction and get the other one. Amazon doesnt sell it, and it is hard to find, but I know you can get it from the EMPORIUM at www.personalsatan.com
I just ordered this garbage and then AFTER realized it was by 14 word press, which is a white supremesist propaganda front. So spare yourself the agony and PASS.

Editorial Review

"Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the world, a shifting of perspective," writes Robert Greene. Mastery of one's emotions and the arts of deception and indirection are, he goes on to assert, essential. The 48 laws outlined in this book "have a simple premise: certain actions always increase one's power ... while others decrease it and even ruin us."