Arab Thought (Crisis of Culture or Intellectuals): An Analytical Reading

Abstract

Anyone tracing the course of modern and contemporary Arab history will observe that while the intellectual landscape was not lacking in cultural figures, it suffered from a lack of consensus and divergent intellectual trends. Consequently, theoretical approaches differed, particularly in our contemporary era. This reflects a crisis in Arab thought, specifically concerning the intellectual and the prevailing cultural paradigm. The problem, therefore, lies in the structure of the Arab intellectual, which reflects the Arab reality, the true nature of the intellectual, and their influence on their social and political environment. We might also observe a problem in the maturity of intellectual visions and propositions, which have been the subject of debate and the imposition of Western intellectual and philosophical projects onto the Arab reality. This has led to exaggerated expectations and a discrepancy between ambition and reality.