It seems quixotic to write about the philosophies of people who have no philosophy. Marine Le Pen, acknowledges Michel Eltchaninoff, is “not an intellectual”, while Vladimir Putin is “no scholar”. However, drawing on interviews with many of the politicians and thinkers either close to Putin and Le Pen or with influence over them, the French philosopher’s two books persuasively show how ideas that have shaped the cultures of both politicians have in turn shaped them.
Review in the FT