The Only Tradition

by William W. Quinn

The Only Tradition examines the first principles of the perennial philosophy or ancient wisdom tradition as expressed in the writings of René Guénon and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, and the current breakdown of value, meaning, and culture in the West due to the decline of these principles since the thirteenth century. The book further focuses on the relationship or reciprocity between the first principles and Western and Eastern culture, and discusses the future development of a homogenous, worldwide system of belief that would restore value and meaning to people's lives. Quinn argues for a return to the first principles inherent in the perennial philosophy, which constitute the sacred primordial Tradition and which inform all the world's great religious traditions. His book makes an excellent introduction to this powerful current of European esoteric thought--primordial tradition.

Hardcover

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where it all started.
Attempts by a Traditionalist to put Traditionalism in an academic framework.

'Quinn argues for the necessity of the Traditional perspectivea and principles in order to elevate
the crisis (epistemological, moral, social, and environmental) of modernity,
calling for a "Traditional Planetary Culture"( p. 305) and a "returnt o first principles"
(p. 306). While some might view this position with skepticism and mistrust, others
may find Quinn's scholarly discussion of perennial philosophy to be a highly crafted
defense of a cosmological and metaphysical Tradition based on something other
than relativistic and secular philosophies.'

Had it come out in 2013, every review would have been a continuous flame.

[A.J. McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the late nineteenth century occult circles of Western Europe emerged a figure called Rene Guenon who began to write highly authoritative books on metaphysics and philosophy and theology. He inspired a Sri Lankan academic called Coomaraswamy to make his own contributions; and Frithjof Schuon and Huston Smith and others in turn followed suit. The name of the Philosophia Perennis (attributed to Leibnitz), or the Tradition, came to be affixed to their belief system, which was essentially that all religions throughout history share the same set of insights. The Tradition is fiercely anti-modern, pro-ecology and elitist. Quinn is a good guide to this world and in fact his book is just about the only introduction to the Tradition which exists.