The part that's most interesting from Eco's take on fascism is that he stresses syncretism in the original essay on Ur-Fascism which is well worth reading direc

The part that's most interesting from Eco's take on fascism is that he stresses syncretism in the original essay on Ur-Fascism which is well worth reading directly. "If you browse in the shelves that, in American bookstores, are labeled as New Age, you can find there even Saint Augustine who, as far as I know, was not a fascist. But combining Saint Augustine and Stonehenge – that is a symptom of Ur-Fascism." I think this is the most relevant aspect of his characterization today because it rings true when you look at the combination of memes and traditional imagery that is often used by extremist groups. Fringe figures on the political extremes like "Bronze age pervert" seem to fit into that mold that Eco describes. Viewed through that lens fascism is not so much an appropriate label for the stereotypical arch-conservative who is just reactionary, but you may even find it in tech circles where you often encounter the same obsession with speed, youth, and the future but at the same time no trust in democracy, egalitarianism and so on. https://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/eco_ur-fascism.pdf https://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/eco_ur-fascism.pdf