René Guénon [en] (1886-1951)

René Guénon en 1925

René Guénon was a French philosopher, metaphysician, and writer born in Blois in 1886.

A major figure in the traditionalist movement, he developed the idea of a primordial Tradition, the sole and universal source of all authentic religions.

Trained in mathematics and philosophy, he became interested in esotericism at an early age and was a fierce critic of the excesses of occultism and spiritualism. His work is structured around two themes:

• A radical critique of the modern world, which he saw as a break with spiritual and sacred principles.

• A rehabilitation of Eastern metaphysical doctrines (Hinduism, Sufism) and their convergence with Western traditions.

René Guénon in Cairo

In 1930, he settled permanently in Cairo, converted to Sufi Islam under the name Abd al-Wâhid Yahyâ, and continued his writing there. Among his major works are The Crisis of the Modern World (1927) and The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times (1945).

René Guénon died in Cairo in 1951, leaving behind an influential body of work that continues to inspire philosophical, spiritual, and critical circles today.