Arthur John Arberry (1905-1969) was a British orientalist, scholar, translator, editor, and author who wrote, translated, or edited about 90 books on Persian- and Arab-language subjects. He specialized in Sufi studies, but is also known for his excellent translation of the Koran. AJ Arberry attended Cambridge University, where he studied Persian and Arabic with R. A. Nicholson, an experience which he considered the turning point of his life. After graduation, Arberry worked in Cairo as head of the classics department at Cairo University. During the war years, he worked at various posts in London to support the war effort with his linguistic skills. In 1944 Arberry was appointed to the chair of Persian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University, and then two years later to the chair of Arabic. In 1947 Arberry returned to Cambridge as the Sir Thomas Adams Professor of Arabic. Professor AJ Arberry remained there till his death in 1969. Arberry himself recounted in an autobiographical sketch how he had come to lose his Christian faith, despite his family roots as "strict believers of the Christian evangelical school"; however, paradoxically, his faith was restored following his long in-depth studies of the mystics of Islam. In this regard, A.J. Arberry commented, "I am an academic scholar, but I have come to realize that pure reason is unqualified to penetrate the mystery of God’s light, and may, indeed, if too fondly indulged, interpose an impenetrable veil between the heart and God. The world in which we live is certainly full of shadows. I have had my full share of personal sorrows and anxieties, and I am as acutely aware as the next man of the appalling dangers threatening mankind. But because I have experienced the Divine Light, I need not wish for any higher grace."

Douglas Dewar (1875–1957) was a British lawyer and scientist (an ornithologist) who, despite his training in science, later in life became an eloquent critic of the claims of transformist evolution. This resulted in his book, The Transformist Illusion, published posthumously in 1957. Though some, generally minor, factual errors have been found in the book, it remains to this day impressive in its scope and its attack of evolutionist premises on several levels, including those of fundamental principles as well as specific hypothetical processses. Dr. Douglas Dewar published many pieces in newspapers and periodicals, on ornithology, evolution, and other topics.

John Griffin is an Australian author and scholar. During his youth, Griffin witnessed the destruction of Lake Pedder in the heart of the Tasmanian wilderness, leaving a deep impression upon him. An abiding love of nature combined with a concern for the plight of the environment influenced his later academic career. An Honors’ Degree in Environmental Studies was followed by a Ph.D. in Environmental Philosophy. His book, On the Origin of Beauty, is an adaptation of his dissertation (which won the Dean’s Prize for 2007). Dr. Griffin has traveled widely, studying traditional architecture and timeless ways of building. He has practiced these building arts himself in Autralia and England. Dr. Griffin now lives on a small farm in the hills of northern Portugal, engaged in rehabilitating old stone-walled terraces, tending an organic vegetable garden and orchard, and devoting any spare time to writing. John Griffin's 2011 book On the Origin of Beauty: Ecophilosophy in the Light of Traditional Wisdom was reviewed by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos. This review has been posted as an online article (2013 Web Edition) of Studies in Comparative Religion. Click here to read the review either as a web document or as a pdf.

George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938) was a historian, naturalist, explorer, sportsman, and conservationist. He helped to establish Yellowstone Park and Glacier National Park, co-founded the first Audubon Society, and along with Teddy Roosevelt, co-founded the Boone and Crockett Club. Grinnell was a long-time editor of Forest and Stream magazine and wrote several landmark books on the Pawnee, Blackfoot and Cheyenne peoples, having lived with and befriended the last generation to have known the glorious freedom of the buffalo days. Grinnell’s career as a writer and recorder of Indian life-ways would later be characterized by the famed historian Stephen Ambrose as “of incalculable benefit to every student of Western or Indian history.”

HH the 68th Jagadguru of Kanchi, Sri Swaminathan (1894-1994) was taken to Kalavai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in his 13th year. He began his long stay at the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt (monastery), where he was initiated into an ascetic order and was later ordained as the 68th Acharya of the Kanchi Mutt. He was given the sanyasa name Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. He assumed official administration of the Mutt in 1915, though he had been recognized as its head almost immmediately after his arrival. He remained the head of the monastery for eighty-seven years.

Following the tradition set by Adi Sankara, the 68th Jagadguru of Kanchi traveled throughout the country on foot or by the traditional palanquin. Amongst his many efforts, he established the practice of creating Trusts for achieving the objectives of the Peetam (religious center). Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati's foremost concern was preservation of the Vedas, tradition and dharma. He advocated simplicity, shunned pomp, ostentation and extravagance. His exposition of Vedanta, sastras, and the dharmic duties attracted scholars and laymen alike, from far and wide. His contributions to the reinvigoration of Vedic studies and religion in India have been widely recognized.

His Holiness Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal is the author of the World Wisdom title Introduction to Hindu Dharma (2008).

Mark J. Sedgwick is an academic and historian. Dr. Sedgwick is currently an associate professor of Arab history, culture and society in the Department of the Study of Religion, and program manager for Arab and Islamic Studies, at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. He previously worked at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Mark Sedgwick is the author of the controversial book Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century, published by Oxford University Press in 2004. The book purports to be a survey of "traditionalism," with particular emphasis on the role René Guénon played in this school of thought. A number of careful reviewers, however, have found that Against the Modern World contains serious errors and faults in both premises and facts.

Dr. Mark Sedgwick maintains an active presence on the internet, including his blog, some of which strikes various readers as rather biased and self-promotional while other readers perceive his efforts as the result of academic inquisitiveness. It is undeniable that he is a source of information about Tradition and Perennialism. However, the controversial nature of Mark Sedgwick's work on Traditionalism and Perennialism causes many readers to ask whether his influence is disproportionate to his credentials and possibly even to his motives. Readers must judge for themselves whether Sedgwick is a dispassionate student of Traditionalism or someone with an internet connection and a "personal and undisclosed bias against Traditionalism." In the interest of a more balanced and well-researched view of Traditionalism, we present on this website three rather detailed and, we hope, incisive reviews of Mark Sedgwick’s Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century.