Arab Philosophers - non-Arabs- Raúl Fornet-Betancourt

Roger Garaudy

From Marxist Theorist to Islamic Thinker

1- Early Life and Formative Years

Roger Garaudy was born on 17 July 1913 in Marseille, France, to working-class Catholic parents. His early years were shaped by modest means and a strong moral framework. At just 14, he converted to Protestantism, signaling an early openness to spiritual and ideological change.

During World War II, Garaudy served in the French army, was captured by Vichy forces in Algeria, and later joined the French Resistance, contributing to underground radio and the newspaper Liberté. This period cemented his belief in political engagement as a moral duty.

2- Marxism and the Communist Years (1933–1970)

In 1933, Garaudy joined the French Communist Party (PCF), drawn by Marxism’s promise of social justice and equality.

By the mid-1940s, he had risen to the party’s Central Executive Committee, becoming one of its leading theorists.
His doctoral work — La théorie matérialiste de la connaissance (1953) — explored Marxist epistemology, followed by a second thesis in Moscow on Freedom and Necessity in the Light of Marxism (1954).

Garaudy’s Marxism was never static. While he initially supported Soviet orthodoxy (including the 1956 invasion of Hungary), by the late 1960s he began questioning the dogmatism of the Soviet model. His criticism of the PCF’s stance on the 1968 student movement and the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia led to his expulsion in 1970.

3- Philosophical Shift and Critique of Modernity

Post-expulsion, Garaudy embarked on a philosophical reorientation. Disillusioned with Soviet communism, he turned toward humanist Marxism, existentialism, and interfaith dialogue.

He argued that Western materialism had created a spiritual vacuum, alienating individuals from deeper moral and cultural values.
His writings began to integrate religious and ethical dimensions absent from orthodox Marxism.

4- Conversion to Islam (1982)

Garaudy’s search for a synthesis between spirituality and social justice culminated in his conversion to Islam in 1982.

He saw Islam as a faith capable of reconciling material progress with spiritual depth, and became an advocate for interfaith dialogue between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
His later works emphasized shared human values, cultural pluralism, and the moral responsibilities of civilizations.

5- Legacy and Final Years

Despite the controversies, Garaudy remained active in peace advocacy and cross-cultural dialogue until his death in 2012.

Admirers remember him as a restless seeker of truth, unafraid to challenge dominant paradigms.
Critics see his later years as marred by dangerous historical revisionism.

His intellectual journey — from Catholicism to Protestantism, Marxism, Catholicism again, and finally Islam — reflects a life of constant questioning and ideological reinvention.

6- Key Themes in Garaudy’s Intellectual Evolution

Phase	Core Beliefs	Key Works	Turning Points
Early Faith	Catholic → Protestant	—	Spiritual curiosity in adolescence
Marxist Period	Orthodox Marxism, Soviet-aligned	La théorie matérialiste de la connaissance	Joining PCF (1933), WWII Resistance
Humanist Marxism	Critique of Soviet dogma, openness to religion	Pour un réalisme sans rivages	Expulsion from PCF (1970)
Islamic Philosophy	Spiritual-material synthesis, interfaith dialogue	Appels aux vivants	Conversion to Islam (1982)
Controversial Phase	historical revisionism	Les Mythes fondateurs de la politique israélienne

Readings:

- Why Roger Garaudi Still Matters

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