Against Modernity: Philip Sherrard and the World of Radical Renunciation

This paper analyzes radical renunciation of science and technology through the lens of Philip Sherrard (1922-1995). Sherrard, a poet, theologian, and translator, was a convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and is most known in Greece for his introduction of modern Greek literature to the west. In the 1970s, increasingly concerned about the environmental crisis, he abandoned modernity and built a primitive haven on the Greek island of Evia—a home without electricity, phones, heating, air conditioning. However, beyond Orthodoxy, much of Sherrard’s thinking was influenced by the shadowy world of the Traditionalist School. But where many Traditionalists tend towards right-wing extremism in response to environmental destruction and technological dehumanization, Sherrard charted an alternate path through pacifism and a unique brand of theologically-motivated technological asceticism. While his response to climate change is not sustainable, it raises serious questions about the intersection of ecological despair, anti-modernism, and right-wing extremism.