The Oswald Spengler Project

The Oswald Spengler Project explores Oswald Spengler's theories on civilizations' cyclical nature, historical determinism, and cultural analysis. It includes essays, notes, translations, and discussions on Spengler's work and its contemporary relevance, covering his views on history, culture, philosophy, and the decline of Western civilization.

Cultural Philosophy Historical Analysis Civilizational Theory Intellectual Biography Literary Criticism Philosophy of History Cultural Decline and Renewal Translations and Interpretations

The hottest Substack posts of The Oswald Spengler Project

And their main takeaways

Mongol Storms and Asian Ruins

379 implied HN points • 13 May 24
💾 History Translation Civilizations Maps Asia
  1. Spengler's work on Ancient Asia was a significant focus of his, but much of it remains untranslated into English, limiting its accessibility.
  2. Spengler had a deep interest in cartography and envisioned a new approach to universal history through the interaction of civilizations, highlighted in his sketch 'Altasien'.
  3. Spengler's plans for a series of articles on prehistory, including 'Ancient Asia', were cut short by his premature death, leaving many of his works and ideas unfinished.

Reconstructing Spengler's Prehistory

259 implied HN points • 16 May 24
💾 History Ancient Civilizations Historical Figures Research Analysis Cultural impact
  1. Oswald Spengler had planned a series of essays on various topics related to the history of the second millennium B.C., showcasing his unique perspectives and insights into different ancient civilizations.
  2. Despite his early death, Spengler was able to complete and publish some of the planned essays, such as 'Tartessos and Alaschia' and 'The War Chariot and its Significance in World-History.'
  3. Spengler's work focused on the significant shifts and developments in human spirit and culture during the second millennium B.C., particularly highlighting the Indo-Europeanization of Eurasia and the emergence of Greco-Roman, Indian, and Chinese cultures.

Julius Evola's Preface to The Decline of the West

1078 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
📚 Literature Theory History Philosophy Translation
  1. Julius Evola's preface reflects on modernity, tradition, and the decline of aristocratic cultures.
  2. Evola critiques Spengler's concept of history as cyclical, emphasizing the idea of 'traditional man' and ahistorical civilizations.
  3. Spengler's work challenges the linear view of history, proposing that civilizations cycle through distinctive phases with unique characteristics and inevitable declines.

Morphology and History

339 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🚌 Education History Philosophy
  1. History presents unique challenges as it lacks a universal framework like the natural sciences.
  2. Schopenhauer argues that historical events are too diverse to fit into generic categories or types, making a true science of history difficult.
  3. One approach could be to focus on studying specific types of historical phenomena rather than trying to encompass all of history.

Goethe on the Four Stages of Culture

499 implied HN points • 16 Dec 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy Literature History
  1. Goethe outlined the four stages of culture: the Poetic, Theological, Philosophical, and Prosaic. Each stage represents a different phase in human development from primitive mysticism to intellectual sterile civilization.
  2. In the Poetic stage, cultures are dream-like, filled with myths, legends, gods, and heroes. The imaginative realms of gods and enchanted objects within this stage are treated with sincerity and form the basis for poetry.
  3. The Theological stage involves humanity trying to rationalize the world through theology. It seeks to create a logical order out of the chaotic cosmologies conceived in the Poetic stage.
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Bowden on Spengler

559 implied HN points • 18 Nov 23
📚 Literature Authors Intellectuals Classics
  1. Oswald Spengler is a significant intellectual known for his work 'The Decline of the West'.
  2. Spengler believed in the cyclical nature of cultures, where they rise, decline, and fall like living organisms.
  3. Despite some errors, 'Man & Technics' serves as a condensed overview of Spengler's major work, focusing on human societies' development and decline.

The Future of the Oswald Spengler Project

359 implied HN points • 16 Dec 23
🎭️ Culture History Literature Philosophy
  1. The author is writing a book on Oswald Spengler's life and works, which will be published in installments on Substack. The book will cover topics like Spengler's life, his thoughts on technology, prehistory, and politics.
  2. The posts about the book project will be paywalled moving forward, as a thank you to those who have supported the author. Paid subscribers will receive weekly installments until the manuscript is completed.
  3. The author expresses gratitude for the support received from both free and paid subscribers, with a special mention of reaching 1,000 free subscribers. The first post titled 'Goethe and the Four Stages of Culture' is set to be released soon.

Spengler's Biography Part 1

778 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
💾 History Biography Intellectuals Literature World War I Cultural critique
  1. Oswald Spengler's childhood was marked by a contrasting influence from his parents - his father's duty-bound nature and his mother's artistic family background.
  2. Spengler was a bright child with a vivid imagination, but his intellectual pursuits conflicted with his father's expectations of a traditional career.
  3. After facing setbacks in academia and a disappointing teaching career, Spengler ventured into writing and achieved unexpected success with his controversial work, 'The Decline of the West.'

An Introduction to Spengler’s Decline

459 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
📚 Literature Philosophy Religion History Cultures Civilizations
  1. The Spenglerian Theory views cultures as living organisms with predictable life cycles of growth, decay, and ultimate demise.
  2. Spengler critiques the conventional classification of history and introduces a Copernican system that treats all cultures as equal, focusing on eight distinct high cultures.
  3. In each culture's life cycle, distinct stages emerge such as youth, maturity, decline, and the transition to civilization, marked by shifts in power, philosophy, religion, and societal structures.

Interview with Constantin von Hoffmeister

559 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
📚 Literature Translation Historical Analysis Cultural criticism
  1. In his translations, Constantin corrected typos in the CFA translation of Spengler's work and kept a meticulous approach to ensure the translations did justice to the original texts.
  2. Spengler's work on 'Early Days of World History' introduces concepts like 'culture-amoebas' and explores the role of myth and religion in early civilizations, providing unique perspectives on the early history of human civilization.
  3. The interest in Spengler's works today is driven by his challenging views on the decline of Western civilization, the rise of authoritarianism, and his literary style that blends history, culture, and philosophy.

Evola's Preface Continued

339 implied HN points • 14 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy Literature
  1. Evola discusses Caesarism, 20th-century fascism, Nazism, and technical vocabulary in Spengler's work.
  2. Spengler's theory of Caesarism centers on the struggle between economic power and pure politics, emphasizing the reign of machinery and finance.
  3. The historical role of Caesarism, its impact on figures like Mussolini, and Spengler's views on various civilizations and phases are analyzed.

The World-as-History

59 implied HN points • 15 May 24
💾 History Methodology Journal Research Translation
  1. The post discusses the translation of Spengler's works into English, particularly focusing on his intention for the academic journal 'The World as History' and the journal's editor Hans Erich Stier.
  2. The journal 'The World as History' aimed to publish historical research aligned with Spengler's distinct methodology.
  3. The post hints at a possible revolution in cartography, linking to further content on the subject.

Plan for The Oswald Spengler Project

179 implied HN points • 30 Jul 22
🎭️ Culture Philosophy Literature Translation History
  1. The Oswald Spengler Project consists of notes, essays, and translations about Oswald Spengler's works.
  2. The project will cover Spengler's published works and delve into historical, cultural, and philosophical topics.
  3. Initial focus will be on notes on Spengler's major works, with plans to later provide translations of his unpublished works.

Coming soon

39 implied HN points • 30 Jul 22
📚 Literature Translation Essays Notes
  1. The newsletter 'The Oswald Spengler Project' focuses on notes, translations, and essays on the collected works of Oswald Spengler.
  2. The newsletter is hosted on spergler.substack.com.
  3. The 'Coming soon' message indicates that the content is not yet available but will be coming in the future.

A Revolution in Cartography

2 HN points • 14 May 24
🚌 Education History Geography Culture Research Translation
  1. Spengler emphasized the importance of updating historical maps to reflect the latest research findings and to aid in understanding the development of civilizations over time.
  2. He proposed a new approach to cartography, stressing the need to include geographical details like terrain, agriculture, and migration routes to enhance historical analyses.
  3. Collaboration between experts from multiple disciplines is crucial in creating comprehensive maps that can visually represent historical, cultural, and anthropological data for better understanding.