Alexander Dugin: "An intellectual has to study at least 5,000 books in a lifetime"

What books help a person to form a holistic worldview and understanding of the world's structure? And how many books must they read to become truly well-read? The Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA asked these questions to Alexander Dugin, Director of the Educational and Scientific Centre "Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School", Doctor of Political Science and Sociology, Professor.

"In my view, an intellectual has to study a minimum of 5,000 works in their lifetime. It's not necessary to read them to the end; you can read halfway, or browse, or, in some cases, just familiarise yourself with the table of contents. But this number is an average minimum. You can read the French philosopher René Guénon, whose legacy comprises about 40 works. Or you can read the German philosopher Martin Heidegger, limiting yourself to his work 'Being and Time, although he has a 100-volume collected works," emphasised Alexander Dugin.

According to him, books are a form of being, and there cannot be too many of them. They are like an ocean across which people must voyage. Humans are thinking beings, and in reading, their souls are revealed and their consciousness is formed, he noted.

"First of all, in my opinion, it is necessary to turn to Christian literature. This is, undoubtedly, the Gospel and the Apocalypse. I would recommend studying the latter from morning till night, because we are living inside a clearly eschatological drama, an era of the end times, and everything about it is already stated in the Holy Scriptures. We are now living in the final epoch of world history, so it is time to read the Apocalypse," said Alexander Dugin.

To understand the modern world, the history of peoples, and Russia's role on the international stage, an intellectual must turn to academic literature, the philosopher continued. This includes works on ethnosociology, geopolitics, international relations, the philosophy of politics, and much more. At the same time, one must by no means forget about Russian classics.

"First and foremost, the most relevant, in my view, is Dostoevsky. All his major novels can be read starting from adolescence, and reread until the end of one's life. It is especially true regarding 'A Writer's Diary'. This is the deepest prophetic experience of a great thinker, an amazing master of words, and a completely incredible person who could delve into the depths of the soul; he is a prophetic figure. It is very important for a contemporary person to also know the poetry of the Silver Age: Nikolai Gumilyov, Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsvetaeva, Boris Pasternak, Alexander Blok, and many other bright representatives of the era," he continued.

The Silver Age is the moment when the country's culture was severed for a century, the professor believes. According to him, if we want a continuation, a renewal of the cycle of genuine, full-fledged Russian culture, we must rethink that time. He emphasised that it is important today to restore Russian culture, and we should know at least one book by the great authors of the Silver Age by heart. Not just study it, but know it by heart, concluded the philosopher Alexander Dugin.