What is paganism? In this penetrating and tightly argued manifesto, French philosopher Alain de Benoist seeks to answer this question with passionate intellectual vigor and a tremendous erudition. Arising out of the "monotheism vs. polytheism" debate that reverberated through Parisian intellectual circles in the late 1970s, this is neither a survey of ancient, pre-Christian religions, nor is it an argument on behalf of any modern neo-pagan sect. On Being a Pagan draws on Nietzsche, Heidegger, ancient philosophy and mythology, and biblical hermeneutics to articulate a pagan theology based on a common Indo-European foundation. In keeping with the critical tradition which hearkens back to the Greek philosopher Celsus, Benoist contrasts the heroic pagan worldview with Christianity's attempts to hobble everything that is beautiful and strong. He compares the cyclical pagan conception of time to the de-mythologizing, linear understanding of history favored by the prophets. Most disturbingly, he traces the roots of modern totalitarianism and intolerance--of both the left and the right--to the leveling ideology of ancient Judeo-Christian monotheism, with its underlying rejection of diversity and différence. Originally published to wide critical acclaim in 1981, Benoist's text is as relevant today as it was when it first appeared--and perhaps even more so for the English-speaking world. This newly revised translation now features an extensive interview with the author, and includes his reflections (both positive and negative) on the various groups and individuals that have attempted to resurrect the pagan spirit. Rather than simply dissecting the 2,000-year Christian interregnum, Benoist's greater purpose is to point the way forward to a world that could have been, and which may only now be in the first stages of being reborn.

The second volume in an ongoing series of English translations of de Benoist's works is an examination of the origins of the concept of human rights in European Antiquity, in which rights were defined in terms of the individual's relationship to his community and were understood as being exclusive to that community alone.

This manifesto remains the only attempt to date by GRECE, the primary New Right organization in France, to summarize its principles and key concepts. It was written in 1999 by Alain de Benoist, GRECE's founder, and Charles Champetier on the occasion of GRECE's thirtieth anniversary. It offers a strong argument in favor of the right to difference among cultures and civilizations, and the right of peoples to defend themselves from cultural homogenization. It also offers a vision of a regenerated Europe which will find its strength in a return to its authentic values and traditions, in opposition to the new imperialism of multiculturalism and the global marketplace. Alain de Benoist (b. 1943) is the primary philosopher of the European 'New Right' movement. He attended the Sorbonne, studying law, philosophy and religion. He is the author of dozens of books, including The Problem of Democracy and Beyond Human Rights, published in English translation by Arktos, and gives frequent lectures around the world. He lives in Paris. Charles Champetier (b. 1968) is the former editor of Éléments, one of GRECE's periodicals. He continues to write on subjects related to the New Right.

"De Benoist proposes that effective democracy would mean a return to an understanding of citizenship as being tied to one's belonging to a specific political community based on shared values and common historical ties, while doing away with the liberal notion of the delegation of sovereignty to elected representatives. The type of government which is called for is thus a return to the form of government widely understood in Antiquity, but which now seems to us to be a revolutionary notion."--Jacket.

In this wide-ranging yet concise study, Alain de Benoist brings his incisive intelligence and wide erudition to bear on the fiercely debated subject of the mysterious origin and practical and magical functions of runes, providing the reader with a thorough grounding in the potential origin points and evolutions of the Fuþark. Runes and the Origins of Writing carries its reader on an archaeological and anthropological journey through an enigmatic past, giving to layman and academic alike unique insight into the history of this archaic script, and others like it.

'View from the Right, Volume III: Controversies and Viewpoints' brings de Benoist's encyclopaedic knowledge to bear on a startlingly wide range of figures and ideas, in a series of essays which are united by a singular power of level-headed discernment.

In the second volume of View from the Right, de Benoist brings his penetrating analysis to bear on democracy and Communism, gender roles and ecology, contemporary art and warfare. Covering issues from Left to Right and back again, de Benoist tackles everything from the Catholic Church and the existence of God to euthanasia and the end of the world.

Few names, apart from that of Leo Strauss, are invoked more often when discussing the American response to terrorism in recent years than that of Carl Schmitt. Schmitt, who was part of the German school of political thought known as the 'Conservative Revolution, ' is widely regarded as having been one of the greatest legal minds of the twentieth century. He famously asserted that the most important function of the sovereign of a nation is not the drafting or enforcement of law, but rather his ability to decide when the law should be suspended in an emergency, and likewise his power to declare who the 'friend' and 'enemy' of a community is at any given moment. Alain de Benoist critiques those who claim Schmitt as an inspiration behind the American 'neoconservative' movement that held sway during the administration of President George W. Bush, showing that the politics of the 'war on terror' do not actually reflect Schmitt's ideas, in that American lack of respect for the traditional rules of war, and its determination to portray its enemies as embodiments of absolute evil rather than as representatives of legitimate polities, renders contemporary American politics thoroughly un-Schmittian. Benoist then goes on to analyse recent history from Schmitt's standpoint, showing that the efforts of the United States have been intended to preserve its global hegemony, whereas Schmitt believed that the world was developing into a multipolar one where many powers, rather than a single power, would dominate, a trend which is clearly at work in our time. Benoist demonstrates that Carl Schmitt was therefore a much greater visionary than the American neoconservatives, who failed to understand the geopolitical forces at work today. Alain de Benoist is the leading philosopher behind the European 'New Right' movement (a label which de Benoist himself rejects, perceiving himself to not fit into the usual Left/Right dichotomy), a metapolitical school of thought which he helped to found in France in 1968 with the establishment of GRECE (Research and Study Group for European Civilisation). He continues to write and give lectures and interviews. He lives in Paris. Arktos has previously made available his books The Problem of Democracy and Beyond Human Rights, both published in 2011.

View from the Right, Volume II: Systems and Debates is a compendium of the essays of Alain de Benoist, the founder of the French New Right and one of the most vital and challenging intellectuals in the contemporary European scene. In excellent translation with copious footnotes, this collection of essays covers a startling range of political, religious, and sociological topics, addressing controversial issues and responding to a variety of interlocutors with razor-sharp wit and matchless erudition.In this second volume of the View from the Right series, de Benoist brings his penetrating analysis to bear on democracy and Communism, gender roles and ecology, contemporary art and warfare, and historical figures as diverse as Georges Sorel, Arthur de Gobineau, Ernest Renan and Alexis de Tocqueville. Covering issues from Left to Right and back again, de Benoist tackles everything from the Catholic Church and the existence of God to euthanasia and the end of the world. The result is a fascinating and vivacious tour of impressive gamut, undertaken by one of the keenest, and bravest, minds of our times.