Book Review: Alexandr Dugin’s Fourth Political Theory

The world is in crisis. Political systems are failing, cultural identities are fracturing, and the ideological structures that once provided meaning no longer hold. Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian philosopher and geopolitical strategist, has emerged as one of the most radical critics of modernity. His book Fourth Political Theory challenges the dominance of liberalism and attempts to carve out a new ideological framework beyond the failures of fascism and communism.

There’s much to appreciate in his diagnosis—but I think that his prescription falls short.

While Dugin correctly identifies the collapse of the old world order, his solutions are rooted in nostalgia and still operate within the materialist paradigm that build the current world-framework that he claims to reject. He seeks to restore spiritual civilization as a counterbalance to globalist liberalism, but he defines spirituality in external, structural, and civilizational terms rather than recognizing it as a force that is actively reshaping consciousness itself.

In short? I feel he’s still thinking too small.

Who is Aleksandr Dugin and What is The Fourth Political Theory?

Aleksandr Dugin is a Russian philosopher and political strategist whose work has influenced Russian geopolitical thought. His book, The Fourth Political Theory, presents a radical alternative to modern political ideologies.

Dugin argues that the three dominant political theories of the 20th century—liberalism, communism, and fascism—have all failed.

Fascism and Communism collapsed in the 20th century for the most part. Liberalism, the last one standing, has led to globalism, individualism, and a loss of deeper meaning.

He proposes a Fourth Political Theory to replace them, one that:
✅ Rejects liberal individualism in favor of collective identity.
✅ Opposes globalism and champions a multipolar world.
✅ Draws from traditionalism, mysticism, and nationalism to restore lost meaning.
✅ Seeks a return to pre-modern, spiritual, and civilizational structures.

As he puts it:

“The victory of liberalism resolved this question: the individual became the normative subject within the framework of all mankind.”

“The subject of Communism was class. Fascism’s subject was the state, in Italian Fascism under Mussolini, or race in Hitler’s National Socialism. In liberalism, the subject was represented by the individual, freed from all forms of collective identity and any ‘membership’ (l’appartenance).”

Dugin frames this as a revolutionary way forward, but as I will argue, it is actually a nostalgic attempt to return to the past, rather than embracing the true transformation that is underway.

Where Dugin Gets It Right

Liberalism Has Hollowed Out Meaning

Dugin argues that liberalism, in its attempt to free the individual from all constraints, has led to a crisis of meaning.

He sees the modern world as spiritually and existentially bankrupt, reduced to consumerism, empty politics, and an obsession with identity.

This resonates with my own recognition that we are undergoing a Global Identity Crisis, where individuals, cultures, and entire nations are struggling with a loss of purpose​.

The Rejection of One-Size-Fits-All Globalism

He critiques globalism as a homogenizing force, erasing distinct cultures in the name of universal liberal democracy.

Similarly, I’ve written about how decentralization—whether in governance, finance, or education—is part of the shift away from rigid, centralized, top-down control​.

The Multipolar Vision of the Future

Dugin envisions a multipolar world where civilizations define their own paths.
This aligns with my belief that unity does not require uniformity. Boundaries matter, but so does conscious collaboration​.

Where I Think Dugin Falls Short

Civilizationism Still Operates Within a Materialist Frame

He rejects secular materialism, but his solution—civilizational identity rooted in history, culture, and geography—is still an external framework rather than a recognition of how spirituality itself is evolving.

Dugin treats civilizations as static entities with fixed spiritual foundations, but history tells a different story—civilizations are expressions of collective consciousness, and consciousness is always evolving.

Instead of seeing spirituality as the primary force shaping civilization, he sees civilization as the container for spirituality—a crucial reversal.

The Multipolar World is a Materialist Solution to a Spiritual Crisis

He envisions a world divided into civilizational blocs, each preserving its unique traditions.

But the real transformation is happening at a level deeper than political structures—it is a shift in the very nature of how humans relate to power itself​.

His framework still assumes that power must be structured from the top down, whereas I argue that power is shifting from external control to internal alignment.

The new world isn’t going to be multipolar—it’s going to be something entirely different, something emergent.

Nostalgia for Fixed Identity Ignores the Reality of Evolution

Dugin assumes that civilizations have inherent, unchanging essences that must be preserved against modernity.

But history tells a different story. Identity—whether personal or civilizational—is not a relic to be safeguarded but a force that continually reinvents itself.

Every true spiritual transformation in history has shattered old structures rather than reinforcing them. The new paradigm is not a return to tradition—it is the emergence of something entirely new.

The Real Shift: Beyond Civilizationism to the Consciousness-First Paradigm

Dugin is stuck in the old world.

He correctly sees the failure of materialist liberalism but tries to solve it with another external framework.

He invokes spirituality, but still defines it in structural terms rather than recognizing that the paradigm itself is shifting at the level of consciousness.

We are not watching the return of old civilizations—we are watching the emergence of an entirely new world order, one that is not based on geopolitics but on the evolution of human consciousness.

“The world isn’t waiting for permission to change. The shift is already happening, and we were born for this.​”

Dugin sees modernity collapsing and believes the answer lies in reviving the past. But I feel that what’s emerging isn’t a return—it’s an evolution.