This article proposes an analysis of Merab Mamardashvili's philosophical method, with an emphasis on the study of the role of religious symbols. In his work, Mamadashvili pays a lot of attention to symbols and their role in human culture. However, despite numerous studies of these aspects of his philosophy, no meaningful analysis has been carried out regarding which symbols are more or less significant to the philosopher. In many ways, the difficulty in defining these aspects is related to the specific nature of the genre of Merab Mamardashvili's philosophical work – the oral nature of his arguments and monologues, which makes it difficult to construct a system of his philosophy and hinders the categorization of its basic positions. The thesis of this article is that the key “symbol” in Mamardashvilli's philosophy of culture is the image of Christ, and the plot associated with His atoning sacrifice (“the Agony of Christ”). It is proved that Mamadashvilli attached great importance to Christian themes and principles in his philosophy, even though he directly stipulated the secular nature of his philosophizing. Through the thematization of this image, Mamardashvili pronounces and submits many of the main themes of his thought. Mamardashvili defends the “mystical” nature of symbolism in culture, but at the same time, he tries to avoid metaphysical language. In the article, special attention is paid to how Christian “symbols” in Mamardashvili's philosophy are connected to other important aspects of his philosophy, such as transcendentalism, the problem of consciousness, and the theory of knowledge.

Key words: philosophy, consciousness, salvation, effort, symbol, religion, Christianity, atoning sacrifice

DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2024_1_104

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About the author

Alexander A. Girinsky – PhD in Philosophy, Junior Research Fellow, International Laboratory for Research on Russian-European Intellectual Dialogue; 20 Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.