Metapoliticians and Stratagem

Even though metapolitics is a basic and powerful tactic which originated in Europe, I think we can learn and borrow stratagems from metapoliticians in other continents. In this article, I will introduce three prominent metapoliticians from North America, South America and Asia respectively. Most people think that metapolitics is conducted before real politics, taking a long and slow approach for a cultural transformation ahead of electoral success. This is very similar to the “Yin” approach of Chinese cosmology and wisdom. Recently, some European thinkers have started to blur the boundary, suggesting that metapolitics should also be connected with political practice. I will also discuss this from the perspective of stratagem.

Olavo de Gravlho, Guru of Bolsonaroism

Olavo Luiz Pimentel de Carvalho (1947-2022) was a Brazilian professor, philosopher, writer, essayist, and journalist. As a prolific author, he wrote more than 40 books, more than 44 courses, tens of thousands of pages of handouts and articles, starred in a film; and, for 14 years, taught his Online Philosophy Course known as “COF” weekly ( totaling more than 570 classes).

He received his philosophical training through his self-taught studies and began his career as a journalist at the Folha da Manhã S/A company at the age of 17. Olavo later got a journalism job in São Paulo for Jornal da Tarde. He was an essayist and columnist for several publications: Folha de São Paulo , Bravo!, Planeta, First Reading , Jornal do Brasil , Jornal da Tarde , O Globo , Época , Zero Hora and Diário do Comércio .

Still in the 70s, Olavo gave up his journalism job and started working as a freelancer. During the 1980s, he worked for several magazines, such as Nova, Quatro Rodas, Cláudia, etc. These were publications about public and private administration, economics, politics and various other topics.

The first philosophy course taught by Olavo de Carvalho outside of São Paulo was in Rio de Janeiro and he also taught courses on History of Philosophy and Thought and Current Affairs in Aristotle at the Casa de Cultura Laura Alvim. In 2002, Olavo de Carvalho created the website Mídia Sem Máscara (MSM, Media Without Makeup), with the aim of combating the left-wing bias he saw in the mainstream Brazilian media. He was also the creator of the internet radio program called True Outspeak.

In 2009, Carvalho founded the Online Philosophy Course, in which he delivered hundreds of lectures containing original insights in epistemology, metaphysics, the philosophical method, political science, and modern philosophy. He intended to establish a right wing, nationalist, hegemonic doctrine by means of videoconference, articles, tweets, and Facebook posts, etc.  His social media accounts attracted many followers. Brazilians from different walks of life were interested to attend his online classes.

Olavo had developed personal relationships with members of the Bolsonaro family before Bolsonaro’s election. The future President adopted the philosopher’s ideology. Indeed many students of Olavo had been recruited to the government and formed a group known as Olavists.  Olavo even directly appointed two ministers. The first was Ernesto Araujo as Foreign Affairs Minister and another as Minister of Education. There were other followers appointed too. Olavo had turned down a government post offered to him and started to distance from Bolsonaro later since he had disagreed with some of the President’s policies and decisions. 

Masahiro Yasuoka, Mastermind of Showa Era

Masahiro Yasuoka (1898-1983) was a Japanese philosopher and Scholar. He had been  active before World War II as a conservative thinker from the standpoint of Japanese-ism.  He was trained in traditional Chinese thought and was keen to arouse the Japanese Spirit of the people. 

In 1927, Yasuoka established a private school known as Kinkei Gakuin, teaching Oriental political thought and wisdom.  It gained supporters among military, government and business circles. In 1931, he also set up another school for farmers, creating an education movement.

Later Yasuoka founded a right-wing group known as Kokuikai (National Ikai Association” with the aim of “reforming national politics based on Japanese ideas”.  It became the headquarters of the new bureaucrats. This group attracted public attention when some members were appointed to the cabinets of two prime ministers.

As early as 1922, Yasuoka published a book on “Yangmanism”.  Through the circulation of this book, he met many friends in politics, military and commerce. This formed a base of his connections. Throughout his activities, Yasuoka had been friends with many military officers and politicians of Japan, in particular those from the Japanese Navy. During World War II, in 1944 he was even appointed as an advisor to the Ministry of Greater East Asia.

After the War, the Allied forces ordered that his private school be disbanded.  Yasuoka himself was also removed from public office. In 1949, he founded the Shiyukai (later the National Shiyukai Association) to train the next generation of leaders by publishing the journal “Shiyu”, and to promote classical Eastern thought through lectures around the country and radio talks. Since 1950, he maintained connections with the political and financial world and acted as informal advisor to Liberal Democratic Party politicians, so as to preach about the study of Oriental leadership wisdom and to spread Oriental thought based on Yangmanism. In 1958, he formed the New Japan Council and became involved in the movement to revive the old Japan-US Security Treaty.

Most importantly, Yasuoka had close relationships with most post war prime ministers of Japan. They always asked him for guidance and coaching when facing critical problems in policy and leadership. He was known as a “spiritual leader" and “instructor to the Prime Minister”. While he devoted himself to study of Oriental classics and training of talented people, he continued to have influence in political, financial and government circles as a “conservative elder”, earning him nicknames such as “the greatest mastermind of the Showa era”.

Irving Kristol: Godfather of Neoconservatism 

Irving Kristol (1920-2009) was the pre-eminent communicator of the ideas attached to the movement known as neoconservatism in the United States. He played an influential role in the intellectual and political culture of the latter half of the twentieth century.

After graduation from university, he became a journalist.  For the next decade, he worked as a writer or editor with relatively small, relatively liberal ''opinion-moulding'' magazines - The New Leader, Politics, Commentary, The Reporter, Encounter - that shared a resolute anti-Communism. Kristol was the executive vice-president of the publishing house, Basic Books, from 1961 to 1969, and co-founder and co-editor of The Public Interest from 1965 to 2002. He was the founder and publisher of The National Interest from 1985 to 2002.

Apart from writing and publishing, Kristol was an educator. He had a weekly class at the N.Y.U. Business School, where, as Professor of Social Thought, he lectured on ''Capitalism: Its Defenders and Its Critics.'' In 1973, he joined the American Enterprise Institute, and thus started to develop connections with the business and corporate world.

Kristol saw possibilities in ideas as well as people. He was a mover and shaker who tried different ways to help young people. A young author helped by Kristol said,  “Now I'm working on a book about political economy. Irving has certainly shaped my thinking, pushed me along in that direction.” Kristol also played the role of 'facilitator''. He got a job for a person in that magazine, another one to write an article, this one to teach in that university.  As a great mentor of the right people to the right people, he was indeed the centre where neoconservatives met as a network.

Kristol also joined some civil organizations in action. For example, he had joined such friends as Midge Decter, Norman Podhoretz and Jeane Kirkpatrick on the board of directors of the Committee for the Free World, which sought to arouse the West to the Soviet threat behind terrorist attacks, ''liberation'' movements and anti-American campaigns all over the world.

For actual politics, Kristol worked behind the scenes. He is not interested in any government job but he had contacts in the American Enterprise Institute, company bosses, authors found in The Public Interest, Commentary and the American Spectator.  Further, he exerted influence through former colleagues and students who have found their way into government and even the White House. “'I don't pick up the phone and tell them how to run the country,'' says Kristol, ''but I will occasionally pick up the phone, and some people return my calls.''

Education-Connection-Government

We can learn three lessons from these metapoliticians, First of all, the use of education. Olavo launched online courses, Yasuoka set up a private school while Kristol taught business students. Apart from publications reaching the masses, there is further advantage in the use of education. Through teaching, students can interact deeply with the metapolitician so that trust and confidence are built up. Some students may even enter the government later so that they can influence policies and politics in favour of the metapolitical struggle. The second lesson is the value of connection. Metapolitics is not political philosophy. A metapolitician does not just read and write at home. He needs to go out in the real world for connection by different means. Yasuoka founded and participated in some organizations and movements. Also, he engaged with readers of his book on “Yangmingism” in order to expand his reputation and friendship in military, government and business circles. Kristol was similar in joining and participating in some civil organizations. Further, his teaching in business school and working for an enterprise think tank broadened his influence in the commerce sector. We can see that Kristol did more by being a mover or shaker or facilitator in deploying different right persons in a variety of posts of the society for disseminating the influence of his ideas. This requires social and communication skills.

Thirdly, these metapoliticians exerted influence in government by different means. Through close relations with the Bolsonaro family, Olvao could directly appoint two Ministers and other high rank officials of the Brazilian government. This is very impressive. In post-war Japan, Yasuoka was the spiritual teacher of several Prime Ministers who always sought the master’s guidance and coaching at critical times. In the latter half of last Century, Irvin Kristol could phone different officials of the government if necessary. All three metapoliticians did not serve any official posts in government but distanced themselves from actual politics. They preferred to work behind the public scene.  

Stratagem Perspective

Traditional Chinese Stratagem originates from I-Ching, also known as Book of Change. According to I-Ching, the cosmos is made up of two forces, Yin and Yang. Yin means moon, soft, weak, etc, while Yang refers to sun, hard, strong, etc. However, Yin and Yang are not just opposite but form a dialectic wholeness. Yin gradually transforms to Yang and vice versa. Yin and Yang both have a seed of the opposite inside. The opposite seed will germinate slowly and complete total transformation. This cosmology can also be applied in the context of metapolitics.

Basically, metapolitics is a long and slow strategy, focusing on subtle change of culture as precursor for actual political struggle. This is the Yin part while actual politics is the Yang part of the process. Hence, metapolitics should not be limited to reading, writing and publication. Metapolitics should promote germination of the seeds of actual politics even before complete cultural transformation. As we can see above, education-connection-government tactics used by the three metapoliticians can be very useful for bridging the Yin and Yang of the process. I have the following two advices for metapolitical practitioners. Firstly, political, social and diplomatic skills should be also be cultivated for success of these tactics. We do not just sit, write and publish. Education, networking and direct influencing government require practical wisdom. Secondly, even though metapoliticians should engage with government, they need to stay in the Yin sphere, that is to keep low profile and work behind the scene, waiting the coming Yang era, that is the new cultural hegemony and political success.