On the Gnostic Spirit of Modernity and the New Totalitarianism: Augusto del Noce's Reading of Eric Voegelin's 'New Science of Politics' and why it still matters today

This article discusses the Italian philosopher Augusto del Noce’s reading of the work of Eric Voegelin, with particular emphasis on his reading of The New Science of Politics. While it seems evident that Del Noce’s mature philosophy of history was inspired by his reading of Eric Voegelin, in this article I further
propose that Del Noce’s work complements that of Voegelin in an important way. For Del Noce, what had taken the place of “strong ideology” – and he sees this already in the 1960s - is what he called the “opulent society”, animated by a radical cultural relativism fertilizing a new kind of totalitarianism very
different in kind from earlier totalitarianisms. I argue that a joint reading of Voegelin and Del Noce serves to underline the contemporary relevance of both thinkers.