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The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times

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The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times
Cover of the first edition
AuthorRené Guénon
Original titleLe Règne de la quantité et les signes des temps
Translator1953: Lord Northbourne
LanguageFrench
SubjectsMaterialism, civilization, scientism, Idea of Progress
Published1945 (in French)
1953: Luzac
1972: Penguin Metaphysical Library
2001: Sophia Perennis
Publication placeFrance
Pages363 (Penguin)
284 (Sophia Perennis)
ISBN0-900588-67-5 (paperback edition)
ISBN 0-900588-68-3 (hardcover edition)

The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times (French: Le Règne de la Quantité et les Signes des Temps) is a 1945 book by the French intellectual René Guénon, in which the author offers a comprehensive explanation, based on tradition, of the cyclical conditions that led to the modern world in general and to the Second World War in particular. The book was published with the support of Jean Paulhan from Gallimard, who created a collection exclusively dedicated to "Tradition" in order to publish Guénon.

Reception

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Jacob Needleman, in The Sword of Gnosis, writes:

"Many of Guénon's books, notably The Reign of Quantity, are such potent and detailed metaphysical attacks on the downward drift of Western civilization as to make all other contemporary critiques seem half-hearted by comparison."

Harry Oldmeadow, author of Traditionalism: Religion in the Light of the Perennial Philosophy:

"The Reign of Quantity is a brilliantly sustained and excoriating attack on modern civilization [...] The book is a controlled and dispassionate but devastating razing of the assumptions and values of modern science. At the same time it is an affirmation of the metaphysical and cosmological principles given expression in traditional culture and religions."[1]

Translations

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There are complete translations of Le règne de la quantité in a number of languages: English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Persian, and Turkish.[2] Walter James, 4th Baron Northbourne being among the translators for the 1953 English version.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sophia Perennis, books, The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times
  2. ^ "All editions for 'The reign of quantity and the signs of the times.'". WorldCat. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  3. ^ World Wisdom, Lord Northbourne
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