Guillaume Faye, the visionary of archaeofuturism

Guillaume Faye, the visionary of archaeofuturism

Source: https://leblogalupus.com/2025/08/02/guillaume-faye-le-visionnaire-de-larcheofuturisme/

Among the European thinkers of the late 20th century, Guillaume Faye (1949-2019) remains one of the most iconoclastic and controversial. A former activist of the New Right who was involved in GRECE (Groupement de recherche et d'études pour la civilisation européenne), he gradually distanced himself from his comrades to propose a radical and unclassifiable vision: archeofuturism.

A break with classical conservatism

Faye was a fierce critic of the ‘nostalgic’ and backward-looking right. For him, a simple return to the past was a sterile illusion. Instead, he asserted the need to combine:

- Archaic roots (identity, heritage, ancestral values)

- Technological modernity (science, space exploration, transhumanism)

Thus was born archeofuturism: a synthesis between ‘ancestral’ societal structures and the most extreme scientific and technological breakthroughs.

A radical vision of the future

Faye predicted the inevitable collapse of Western societies (‘the shock of the 21st century’), caused by:

- Cultural uprooting.

- Mass immigration.

- The ecological and energy crisis.

- The fragility of the globalised techno-financial model.

But unlike collapsologists who wallow in lamentation, Faye sees this chaos as an opportunity: to rebuild a new civilisation that is tougher, more hierarchical and technologically advanced.

Archaeofuturism: the return of technological castes

In his book Archaeofuturism (1998), Faye imagines a post-chaos society organised according to tribal, warrior and elitist logic, while exploiting the most radical advances in:

- Genetics, biotechnology and AI.

- Space colonisation.

- Social hierarchies based on merit and identity.

He contrasts this model with today's ‘soft’ society, which he considers weak, levelled and doomed to extinction.

A prophetic (and dangerous?) thought

Some see Faye as a visionary, lucid about the fragility of liberal and consumerist modernity. Others denounce him as a potentially dangerous thinker whose vision could justify authoritarianism and exclusion.

What is certain is that Faye anticipated the rise of identity tensions, the crisis of linear progress, and the growing appeal of ‘alternative’ narratives in the face of the techno-market society.

Legacy and relevance

Today, archeofuturism inspires certain European identity circles, survivalist communities, and even techno-elites fascinated by transhumanism.

It has also found unexpected echoes among libertarian and techno-sovereignist entrepreneurs (seasteading, Martian colonisation, radical AI).

In a sense, Guillaume Faye has become the unwitting theorist of a future right wing obsessed with chaos as a matrix for rebirth.

Conclusion

Guillaume Faye did not simply propose a return to our roots: he offered a post-apocalyptic scenario combining tribalism, war and high technology.

Whether seen as a prophet or a dangerous alchemist, he remains one of the few thinkers who dared to bring together archaism and the future, survival and conquest, the earth and the stars.

The futurist pole is Apollonian...

1. Apollonian: order, measure, the architecture of the world

The futurist pole is Apollonian:

It wants to shape the world through reason, engineering and technological sovereignty.

It draws up a rational, almost mathematical plan, in which man imposes his form on matter.

The Apollonian is SpaceX, the smart city, AI mastered as a tool of human power.

2. Dionysian: energy, vertigo, technological romanticism

But this same futuristic pole is also Dionysian:

- It mobilises raw energy, a collective intoxication.

- It promises infinity, the beyond, transgression.

The Dionysian is Musk dreaming of Mars, transhumanists talking about immortality, data centres as cathedrals of electricity.

3. Archaism: roots and verticality

Archaism is also twofold.

- Dionysian, because it has its roots in the earth, blood and immemorial myths.

- Apollonian, because it preserves order, wisdom and ancestral stability.

Archaism is stone versus code, ritual versus algorithm — but with the same quest for a higher order.

4. A creative tension

This Apollonian/Dionysian duality (a Nietzschean concept) structures both:

- futurism (rational order and techno-intoxication),

- and archaism (earthly loyalty and ancient wisdom).

The future will be the clash – or fusion – of these two poles.

Conclusion: The future will be hybrid

A paradox:

- The future is not ‘pure future’.

️- It is a recombination of the old and the new, the Apollonian and the Dionysian.

- It is this mixture that will give birth to archeofuturism, or precipitate chaos.

Note: Apollonian / Dionysian and archaeofuturism

The conceptual pairing of Apollonian and Dionysian comes from Friedrich Nietzsche (The Birth of Tragedy, 1872).

- Apollonian = form, order, clarity, measure, rationality (Apollo, god of the Sun and the arts).

- Dionysian = chaos, raw energy, intoxication, instinct (Dionysus, god of wine and excess).

Nietzsche shows that ancient Greek culture was built on the creative tension between these two poles.

Guillaume Faye and archaeofuturism

The essayist Guillaume Faye has adopted this framework for his concept of archaeofuturism:

- a fusion of the most advanced technology (futurism) and archaic values (roots, hierarchy, order).

- Apollonian futurism: building a rational, sovereign, structured world.

- Dionysian futurism: energy, technological romanticism, the vertigo of an excessive future.

- Dionysian archaism: fidelity to telluric forces, myths, and the Earth.

- Apollonian archaism: wisdom, moderation, and the permanence of human order.

Why is this important?

This interpretation is used today to analyse the 21st century:

- Our societies are moving towards an ultra-technical future (AI, space conquest, transhumanism)...

- ...but are also seeking immemorial reference points (roots, rituals, identities).

The challenge of archaeofuturism is to hold both poles without sinking:

- too much Apollo = cold rigidity;

- too much Dionysus = uncontrollable chaos.

Notable quotes from Guillaume Faye

‘The future will be archaic or it will not be.’

Summarises the central idea of archaeofuturism: the future will not be a linear extension, but a brutal rebirth of ancient structures.

‘Modernity is a deadly illusion that will pay for itself in collapse.’

A frontal critique of the progressive and consumerist illusion.

"Shock, crisis, chaos: these are the real driving forces of history.‘

A cyclical and tragic view of history, inspired by catastrophism.

’Archeofuturism is a bet on the reconciliation between extreme technology and deep-rooted identity."

His final synthesis: technology is not opposed to archaism, but must become its ally.