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One of Olavo de Carvalho’s goals with his extensive work and intense activity in the public debate was to generate a new Brazilian intellectual elite, free from the constraints imposed by left hegemonic thinking. In this sense, the legion of students he left and the undeniable prestige he gained, including in the political world, are evidence that at least part of what he wanted he achieved: conservative voices multiplied. However, as highlighted by professor and writer Francisco Escorsim, his student, it still takes time to say whether his followers will really form an intellectual elite relevant to the country. What can be considered as a fact is that there is no lack of admirers of the philosopher willing to integrate this elite and, it seems, the number only tends to grow.
For those who have always identified with the personal characteristics or role played by Olavo in public opinion, but until today had not delved into what the intellectual wrote, Gazeta do Povo
made a list of recommendations, based on tips from some of its most prestigious students. There are books and essays that vary in density, but they all help to understand why Olavo de Carvalho became one of the most influential men in Brazil. Those who are used to political news are familiar with Olavo’s manifestations on social media, but consider that he still doesn’t have enough philosophical background – or time – to face his denser books , it should start with the articles and essays that are available both on the internet and in collections published in book format. Probably the best known of these collections is The Least You Need To Know Not To Be An IdiotArticles and essays
For those who like the format, another suggestion from the journalist and writer
Paulo Briguet, student of Olavo, are the ten volumes of the collection Letters from an Earthling to Planet Brazil
, published by Vide Editorial, in 2007, divided into titles such as The Revolutionary Inversion in Action , The Progress of Ignorance and The Duty to Insult. To the Younger , below 30, who have not yet taken a risk beyond posts on social networks and videos on YouTube, Escorsim recommends three specific articles by the professor as a gateway to his work: O Imbecil Juvenil (which also names another book by Olavo), O Abandono das Ideias and Apeirokalia. For readers used to philosophical texts, Escorsim recommends Philosophy and Its Inverse
, by Philosophy
, published by Vide Editorial, a work in which Olavo dialogues and responds to various thinkers, denouncing, among other evils, the dictatorship of relativism.
From the same publisher, Briguet also recommends that the reader get to know it first The New Age and the Cultural Revolution, by magnum opus from the teacher: O Jardim das Aflições, mainly in its most recent and revised version, of 2013. Now, if you consider yourself an experienced reader, and besides of philosophy, is an avid consumer of content on geopolitics, so it’s time to read The USA and the New World Order – a debate between Alexandr Dugin and Olavo de Carvalho
, whose first edition is from 2012. For the political analyst and writer Flavio Morgenstern
, also a student of Olavo, this is one of the greatest philosophical works of the 21st century. Russian Dugin is considered by many to be the “brain of Vladimir Putin” and in this book he rivals Olavo, starting from radically different positions in a deep discussion about power. In the week of Olavo’s death, by the way, the Russian thinker made a point of paying tribute to the Brazilian, posting a photo on his Facebook profile on which the professor and Steve Bannon, former strategist of Donald Trump, hold a copy of the historic debate between Dugin and Olavo. Great debate
