Philologists versus Philosophers
Georgia’s Path to Unfree Freedom
Zaal Andronikashvili, Giorgi Maisuradze
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In 1990, Georgia stood at a crossroads. In the debate over the future of the country on the eve of its independence, basic patterns of national self-perception emerged. A backward-looking “philological” current devoted to national myth stood in competition with a sober, analytical “philosophical” current located in the present. The election of the literary scholar Zviad Gamsakhurdia as president ensured for years the dominance of philologists and a class-like organized intelligentsia that claimed to be the guardian of national culture. The counter current was represented by the philosopher Merab Mamardashvili, who advocated an ethos of responsibility and an active concept of freedom, but died at the end of 1990. The loss of this side led to the escalation of conflicts, the consequences of which have not been overcome to this day.
(Osteuropa 7-10/2015, pp. 231–246)