The Problems of Consciousness in the Studies of M.K. Mamardashvili and A.M. Pyatigorsky
Oleg T. Ermishin
Rudn Journal of Philosophy March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.22363/2313-2302-2026-30-1-293-307 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Phenomenology philosophy Artificial consciousness Object grammar Metaphysics Symbol formal Epistemology Cognitive science Personality Focus optics Cognition Observer physics Qualia Gestalt psychology |
| Key points | Argues that Mamardashvili and Pyatigorsky developed complementary but divergent philosophical approaches to consciousness: Mamardashvili's "real psychology" centered on individual self and Western tradition, while Pyatigorsky's "observational philosophy" emphasized impersonal observation and combined phenomenology with Buddhist theory. |
Abstract
The research devoted to the studies of Merab Mamardashvili and Alexander Pyatigorsky, their philosophical approaches to understanding consciousness. M.K. Mamardashvili and A.M. Pyatigorsky first presented the “metatheory of consciousness” in the joint work “Symbol and consciousness” (completed in 1974, published in 1982). The basics of their “metatheory” are the description of the “structure of consciousness” and the search for “universal synthesizing category”. Mamardashvili and Pyatigorsky saw in consciousness universal combination of content and form, sought to substantiate consciousness as sphere of symbols and interpretations. They called the general direction of their research work “symbology” and believed that different symbol systems are formed in the process of understanding. The book “Symbol and consciousness” became the basis for further researches by Mamardashvili and Pyatigorsky. Mamardashvili preferred to focus on the relationship between consciousness and individual self, relying on Western European tradition of philosophy. In “Cartesian meditations”and “Lectures on Proust”, he developed the concept of consciousness, moving from the “metatheory of consciousness” to “real psychology”, by which he understood concrete consciousness turned to the phenomena of life. Pyatigorsky chose different research way: on the basis of “metatheory of consciousness” he developed “observational philosophy”, substantiated the concepts of “observer” and “observation”. For Pyatigorsky, observation process is impersonal, and external observer is the structure of consciousness and the object of observed thinking. Pyatigorsky created “observational philosophy”, combining phenomenology and Buddhist theory of consciousness. Mamardashvili did not abandon personality as metaphysical center of cognition and continued to develop philosophical tradition coming from R. Descartes.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |