TEHRAN - Professor Mark Sedgwick, a British/Irish historian, is of the opinion that “there are many needs that Traditionalism cannot help with”.

“But”, Sedgwick says, “Many find that Traditionalism does answer certain needs.”
In view of traditionalists “the progress” which is a product of modernism is “hollow” and “perhaps illusory”, Sedgwick, professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University in Denmark, tells the Tehran Times
Following is the text of interview:
Q: A central concept of the traditionalist school is that of the perennial philosophy based upon an ancient belief that all the world's great religions share the same origin (in a primordial principle of transcendent unity) and are, at root, based on the same metaphysical principles. Do you agree?

A: Yes, that is entirely correct. But it is important to note that the sense in which the word “philosophy” is used in the phrase “perennial philosophy” is not the same as the standard modern sense of “philosophy.” “Philosophy” here refers to something that is part of religion, not an alternative to religion.

Q: What does “tradition” means in traditionalism and what things does it refer to?

A: The Tradition to which Traditionalists reply is, essentially, the perennial philosophy to which you have referred. Put differently, it is esoteric truth.

Q: What are the roots of traditionalism in the West?

A: Early Christian thinkers were aware of and could not entirely reject the Late Antique belief in a ""perennial philosophy,” though they did not use that term. The term did not come into use until the Renaissance, the period in which leading thinkers became especially interested in it. This is one root of Traditionalism. Another root is in Hindu conceptions of temporal cycles, especially in the idea of the Kali Yuga or final age. Traditionalism is not just perennialism. It is also an awareness of the final age, of “progress” as an illusion, and a dangerous illusion at that.

Q: How can traditionalists fulfill our needs in modern world?

A: It depends what those needs are. There are many needs that Traditionalism cannot help with. But many find that Traditionalism does answer certain needs. It provides an explanation for the apparent diversity of human religion: religions may differ in their exoteric forms, but are one in their esoteric reality. It also provides an answer for those who feel that the progress that many celebrate is hollow, perhaps illusory. Yes, progress is an illusion, or at least the small matters in which we see progress are less important than the larger matters in which we find decline. Finally, it provides a solution at the personal level: go, seek esoteric truth in the context of an orthodox religious frame.

Q: Traditionalism is reflection to modernity. How can traditionalism reconcile tradition and modernism?

A: For Traditionalists, technological things are small things, useful in their way, but not of fundamental importance. The spiritual and the material are in different fields, and do not have major implications for each other. Modernity may be defined technologically, which is not interesting. If defined spiritually, it is the kali yuga—which is interesting, but not to be welcomed.

Q: Traditionalism insists on pluralism. But pluralism in the mind of traditionalism differs from pluralism in the view of John Harwood Hick. What are the similarities and differences?

A: In the end, pluralism is pluralism, as it is not exclusivism. But Traditionalist pluralism is based in metaphysics, on an understanding of the esoteric. It is based in a perception of unity, not in a respect for or acceptance of difference. Hick, in contrast, emphasizes perception. Perception is relative. For the Traditionalists, there is nothing relative about esoteric truth