George Tarabichi, a Syrian philosopher, critic, translator, and writer, made substantial contributions to Arabic thought, particularly through his translations of over 100 works in philosophy, ideology, and psychology. His Arabic translations include the works of Freud, Hegel, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Garaudy, Kazantzakis, and Marcuse. Tarabichi was a pioneer in analyzing psychological elements in Arabic novels, significantly shaping literary criticism in the Arab world.

A major focus of his career was a 20-year project titled Criticism of Criticism of the Arabic Reason, an epistemological response to Moroccan thinker Muhammad Abed Al-Jabri’s Criticism of the Arabic Reason. This monumental work spans five volumes and addresses whether Islam’s relationship with “reason” is influenced more by internal cultural factors or external societal pressures.

Tarabichi’s intellectual journey evolved through diverse schools of thought, including Nationalism, Socialism, Existentialism, Marxism, and Individualism, ultimately focusing on traditional Islamic Arabic studies from a critical standpoint. His dual perspective sought to bridge the Arab world’s historical past with its contemporary challenges.

He held various editorial roles, including as chief editor of Arabic Studies and The Unity. Born in Aleppo in 1939, Tarabichi earned a BA in Arabic Language and an MA in Education from Damascus University. After a brief stay in Lebanon, he relocated to France amid the Lebanese civil war. In 2012, he chaired the judges for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Tarabichi passed away on March 16, 2016, in Paris at age 77.