eli5: What is Perennial Philosophy?
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Perennial philosophy is basically the idea that culture, religion and other aspects of human society, regardless of origin share a common origin, and transmit a basic truth that in a way is universal, even if particular doctrines are different. The most notable thinkers would be people like Aldous Huxley, Rene Guenon (who is more of a traditionalist school which is a school of thought that came out of this movement and is probably the most notable today), Huston Smith, James Cutsinger among others.
Perennial Philosophy is a way of thinking that suggests that all of the world’s wisdom traditions, from different cultures and time periods, are all connected. The idea is that there is one underlying truth that is shared by all of these different traditions and that this truth is eternal, or always the same. This means that the wisdom of the ancient philosophers, for example, is just as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago. In short, the Perennial Philosophy is the idea that there is one big truth that connects all of the world’s wisdom traditions.
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