Thomas Molnar, 19212010
he Catholic philosopher and historian Thomas Molnar died last week in Virginia at
eighty-nine years of age, !st si" days short of reaching his ninetieth year# $orn Moln%r Tam%s in $!dapest in 1921, the only son of &andor and 'ranka, Molnar was schooled across the (omanian )order in the town of *agy+%rad , Rom.- .radea/ in the 01r1s+id2k, a region often incl!ded in Transyl+ania and an integral part of 3!ngary !ntil the Treaty of Trianon clea+ed it a year )efore# 4n 1950 he mo+ed to $elgi!m to )egin his higher ed!cation in 6rench, and as a leader in the Catholic st!dent mo+ement he was interned )y the 7erman occ!piers and sent to 8acha!# 9ith the end of hostilities, he ret!rned to $r!ssels )efore arri+ing home in $!dapest to witness the grad!al Comm!nist takeo+er of 3!ngary# Molnar left for the :nited &tates, where he earned his ;h#8# from Col!m)ia :ni+ersity in 19<0# 3e fre=!ently contri)!ted to the pages of National Review after its fo!ndation )y 9illiam 6# $!ckley in 19<<, and his periodic writings were often fo!nd in Monde et Vie, Commonweal, Modern Age, Triumph, and other o!rnals# 6rom 19<> to 19?> he ta!ght 6rench @ 9orld Aiterat!re at $rooklyn College )efore mo+ing on to )ecome ;rofessor of
B!ropean 4ntellect!al 3istory at Aong 4sland :ni+ersity# 4n 19?9 he was a +isiting professor at ;otchefstroom :ni+ersity in the Trans+aal# 4n 19CD he was awarded an honorary doctorate )y the :ni+ersity of MendoEa in 'rgentina while he was a g!est professor at Fale# 'fter the fall of the Comm!nist regime in 3!ngary, he ta!ght at the :ni+ersity of $!dapest and at the Catholic :ni+ersity ,;;0B/# 4n 199< he was ele+ated to the 3!ngarian 'cademy of 'rts# 9hile his first )ook, Bernanos: his political thought and prophecy ,19?0/, was wellrecei+ed, it was MolnarGs second p!)lished work that was arg!a)ly his )est known# The Decline o the !ntellectual ,19?1/ was, in MolnarGs own words, Hgreeted fa+ora)ly )y conser+ati+es, with respectf!l p!EElement )y the left, and was dismissed )y the li)eral progressi+es#I 7allimard )egan disc!ssions to print a 6rench translation as part of its prominent !d"es series, )efore the p!)lisherGs in-ho!se Mar"ist 8ionys Mascolo +etoed it for its treatment of Mar"ism not as a !topian ideology# The cele)rated @ notorio!s &o+iet spy 'lger 3iss complimented it in a Village Voice re+iew, )!t Molnar noted that The Decline o the !ntellectualJs harshest criticism came from li)eral Catholic circles# H.)+io!sly,I he wrote, Hin that momentGs intellect!al climate, they wo!ld ha+e preferred a )reathless o!tpo!ring of Teilhardian enth!siasm#I The )ook arg!ed, from a deeply conser+ati+e B!ropean mindset, that the rise of the intelligentsia d!ring the nineteenth cent!ry was tied to its capacity as an agent of )o!rgeois social change# 's the intellect!al class increasingly shaped the more democratic, more egalitarian ,indeed, more )o!rgeois/ world aro!nd it, the intelligentsiaGs +itality, so tied to its capa)ility to enact social change ,Molnar arg!ed/, )ecame selfdestr!cti+e# The HdeclineI set in as the intelligentsia searched for alternati+e methods of social redemption in increasingly e"treme fashions ,s!ch as nationalism, socialism, comm!nism, fascism, @c#/ and led to the intellect!als allying themsel+es with ideology, which is the s!rest killer of gen!ine intellect!al and philosophical spec!lation# The same year MolnarGs The #uture o $ducation was p!)lished with a foreword )y (!ssell 0irk, whose st!dy of 'merican conser+ati+e thinkers, The Conservative Mind, was admired )y Molnar# 'mong the many works that followed were %topia& the perennial heresy ,19?>/, The Counter'Revolution ,19?9/, Nationalism in the (pace Age ,19>1/, )*"clipse du sacr" : discours et r"ponses in 19C? with 'lain $enoist, and the following year The +agan Temptation ref!ting $enoistGs neo-paganism, The Church& +ilgrim o Centuries ,1990/, and in 199? Archetypes o Thought and Return to +hilosophy# 6rom then !ntil his death, the remainder of his new )ooks ha+e )een p!)lished in his nati+e 3!ngarian lang!age#
Molnar and his work ha+e )ecome sadly neglected for the +ery reasons he detailed in his ma or work- the o+erwhelming tri!mph of ideology o+er the intellect!al sphere# 9hile (!ssell 0irk defined conser+atism as the a)sence of ideology, modern conser+atism in 'merica has )ecome almost completely en+eloped )y ideology, and the MolnarGs deep, traditional way of thinking K infl!enced )y de Maistre and Ma!rras K is now met more )y silence and ignorance than )y direct condemnation# The tri!mph of ideology ,)e it on the left or the right/ was aided and a)etted, Molnar arg!ed, )y a c!lt!re dominated )y media and telecomm!nications# H'ro!nd 19?0,I ;rofessor Molnar wrote later in his life, Hthe power of the media was not yet what it is today#I 3ardly any)ody s!spected then that the media wo!ld soon )ecome more than a new Ceasar, indeed a demi!rge creating its own world, the e+ents therein, the prefa)ricated comments, co!ntercommentsKand silence# L The more 4 saw of !ni+ersities and camp!ses, p!)lishers and o!rnals, newspapers and tele+ision, the creation of p!)lic opinion, of policies and their o!tcome, the less 4 )elie+ed in the e"istence of the freedom of e"pression where this really mattered for the intellect!alMprofessional esta)lishment# 6or the time )eing, 4 saw more of it in B!rope, anyway, than in 'merica- o+er there, instit!tions still stood g!ard o+er certain freedoms and the conflict of ideas was gen!ineN o+er here the democratic consens!s swept aside those who o) ected, and )analiEed their arg!ments# The difference )ecame minimal in the co!rse of decades# *eedless to say, the world of 'merican conser+atism has )een silent in responding to the death of ;rofessor Molnar# 4deologyGs enforced forgetf!lness aside, MolnarGs nati+e 3!ngary renewed its appreciation for him !st )efore his death- last year the &apientia theological college organised the first conference de+oted to his works, which was well-attended and m!ch commented-!pon in the 3!ngarian press# $esides his serio!s corp!s of works, Molnar is s!r+i+ed )y his wife 4ldiko, his son Bric, his stepson 8r# Oohn *estler, and his se+en grandchildren#
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace.
Works
$ernanos- his political tho!ght and prophecy# 19?0# The decline of the intellect!al# 19?1# The f!t!re of ed!cation# 6oreword )y (!ssell 0irk# 19?1# The two faces of 'merican foreign policy# 19?2# 'fricaN a political tra+elog!e, )y Thomas Molnar# 19?<# AP'fri=!e d! &!d# 19??# &o!th 9est 'fricaN the last pioneer co!ntry# 19??# &potlight on &o!th 9est 'frica# 19??# :topia, the perennial heresy# 19?># Bc!menism or new reformationQ 19?C# &artre- ideolog!e of o!r time# 19?C# The co!nter-re+ol!tion# 19?9# Aa ga!che +!e dPen face# 19>0# The 'merican dilemma, a consideration of :nited &tates leadership in world# 19>1# *ationalism in the space ageN fi+e lect!res gi+en )y Thomas Molnar#19>1# 7od and the knowledge of reality# 19>D# AP'nimal politi=!e - essai# 19>5# '!thority and its enemies#19>?# Ae socialisme sans +isage - lPa+Rnement d! tiers modRle# 19>?# 8ialog!es and ideolog!es#19>># Christian h!manism - a criti=!e of the sec!lar city and its ideology# 19>C# Ae modRle d2fig!r2 - lP'mRri=!e de Toc=!e+ille % Carter# 19>C# ;olitics and the state - the Catholic +iew# 19C0# Theists and atheists - a typology of non-)elief# 19C0# Ae 8ie! immanent - la grande tentation de la pens2e allemande# 19C2# Tiers-Monde - id2ologie, r2alit2# 19C2# AP2clipse d! sacr2 - disco!rs et r2ponses# 19C?# a+ec 'lain de $enoist The pagan temptation# 19C>#
Twin powers - politics and the sacred# 19CC# The Ch!rch, pilgrim of cent!ries# 1990# APB!rope entre parenthRses# 1990# ;hilosophical gro!nds# 1991# The emerging 'tlantic c!lt!re# 1995# 'rchetypes of tho!ght# 199?# 6iloESf!sok istene# 199?# (et!rn to philosophy# 199?# ' Magyar &Eent 0orona 2s a sEentkorona-tan aE eEredford!lSn ,edited )y TSth Tolt%n OSEsef/ &E%Ead+2gi m2rleg - +%logatott Ur%sok# 1999# ' pog%ny kUs2rt2s# 2000# 4gaEs%g 2s t1rt2nelem 2000# $ennVnk lakik-e aE 4stenQ 2002# V%logat%s a Magyar *emEetnek 2s aE asEtalfiSknak Urt p!)licisEtik%k)Sl # 2002# ' )esE2lW 4sten# 200D# ' o)) 2s a )al - tan!lm%nyok# 2005#
References
1# X a b http-MMwww#legacy#comMo)it!ariesMtimesdispatchMo)it!ary#asp"QnYthomasste+en-molnar@pidY155219?>C
'llitt, ;atrick Catholic !ntellectuals And Conservative +olitics !n America ,-./',-0., Cornell :ni+ersity ;ress, 199D# 9illiamson, Chilton The Conservative Boo1shel : $ssential 2or1s That !mpact Today3s Conservative Thin1ers, Citadel ;ress, 2005#
