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Philosophy in the Act: The Socio-Political Relevance of Mamardašvili’s Philosophizing

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‘‘...moi, je suis du côté des Lumiè res.’’ Merab Mamardašvili 1990 (PE, p. 44)

‘‘I’m not struggling for the Georgian language – that battle has been won – but for what is being said in the Georgian language.’’Merab Mamardašvili 1990

ABSTRACT

Although topics in social and political philosophy might not be the first to associate with Mamardašvili, it is argued in this paper that key concepts in his thought, viz. the concepts of form, thought, and culture come together, in the 1980s in particular, in a notion of civil society that goes deeper than that of many of his contemporaries. The relevance of his philosophy at this point is intensified by the specific nature of Soviet philosophical culture, but, it is argued, extends well beyond that, fully justifying his honorary title of “Georgian Socrates”.

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Correspondence to Evert van der Zweerde.

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van der Zweerde, E. Philosophy in the Act: The Socio-Political Relevance of Mamardašvili’s Philosophizing. Stud East Eur Thought 58, 179–203 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11212-006-9002-7

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