Who thinks inside of me?

some aspects of Merab Mamardašvili's theory of consciousness

Diana Gasparyan

pp. 149-162

in: Alexander L. Dobrokhotov (ed), The Great War in the eyes of Russian thinkers, then and now, Studies in East European Thought 66, 2014.

Abstract

In this article I look at the methodology of one the most unique figures in Russian philosophy—Merab Mamardašvili—who was known for his focus on consciousness. According to him, the application of the subject–object dualism to the analysis of consciousness leads to a series of complications. Within the phenomenological framework of intentionality there is an interwining of perspective and object to which this perspective is directed. As soon as we try to apply to consciousness subject–object schemes, then we immediately come across paradoxes. It is impossible to determine consciousness by means of subject–object, not only because it is neither an object nor a subject, but also because consciousness inevitably turns out to be "prior" to such distinctions.

Cited authors

Mamardašvili Merab