Description
Book SynopsisSoviet-era philosopher Merab Mamardashvili developed an original and subtle philosophical system distinct from both his orthodox and dissident colleagues. This volume provides English-speaking audiences with a range of his lectures and writings on ancient philosophy, civil society, the European project, and literature. After many decades hiding in plain sight, he emerges as a Soviet thinker who writes in the double-voiced manner of an ideologically surveilled academic and a potent literary and theoretical innovator independent of his context.
Trade ReviewMamardashvili was admired as a modern-day Socrates whose lifestyle was characterized by the practice of sustained self-reflection. The theme of his reflection was philosophy itself, which he regarded as a moral imperative to question all values and to contribute the value of non-understanding to the world of total and conventional understanding. In this sense he was a spy for an unknown country, and this beautiful collection presents a short guide to its mysteries.Mikhail Epstein, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Cultural Theory and Russian Literature at Emory University
