Volume-III, Issue-I, August 2026
Novel Insights A Peer-Reviewed Quarterly Multidisciplinary Research Journal |
Volume-III, Issue-I , August 2026 |
From Marxism to Radical Humanism: The Philosophical Evolution of M. N. Roy Shakespeare Malita, Independent Research Scholar, West Bengal, India Eamail: malitashakespeare96@gmail.com |
Received: 17.08.2026 | Accepted: 27.08.2026 | Published Online: 31.08.2026 |
Page No: | DOI: 10.69655/novelinsights.vol.3.issue.01W. | |
Abstract | ||
The intellectual career of Manabendra Nath Roy is one of the most outstanding changes in the world of political philosophy today. Having started his life as a revolutionary nationalist who was highly engaged in the anti-colonial movement against the British authority in India, Roy became a powerful Marxist philosopher and later on came up with a philosophy called Radical Humanism. The paper traces the key stages of the intellectual development of Roy and evaluates philosophical premises of his shift to humanist philosophy as a result of the revolutionary activism.During his youthful political life, Roy joined sub-surface revolutionary groups including Anushilan Samiti that sought to bring down colonialism by means of armed revolt. Nevertheless, the weaknesses of revolutionary terrorism made him rethink the usefulness of violent means of politics. Travelling abroad, Roy was exposed to the works of Karl Marx and was strongly affected by Marxist theory, especially the historical materialism and the idea of the class struggle. The international communist politics led to him being involved in the Communist international where he socialized with the great revolutionary leaders such as Vladimir Lenin. Although Roy was initially fascinated by Marxism, he slowly grew to hold critical opinions on the dogmatic nature of the orthodox communism and the authoritarian nature of the Soviet political system. His opposition of the Comintern eventually caused a severance with the world communist movement. During his later intellectual life, Roy developed the philosophy of Radical Humanism that focused on the freedom of the individual, rationality, and democratic participation as the three foundations of a progressive society.The paper focuses on the way Roy tried to put together the aspects of Marxism, liberal democracy, and scientific rationalism into a holistic philosophical system. Through the critique of capitalism, communism, and nationalism by Roy, the paper will argue that Radical Humanism is an insightful input to the modern form of democracy and the philosophical discussions on human freedom. Keywords: Manabendra Nath Roy, Radical Humanism, Marxism, Revolutionary Nationalism, Colonialism, Communist International, Human Freedom, Political Philosophy. | ||