The Principle of Justice as the Premise of Equal Coexistence within a State, or One’s Path towards Self-Actualization

Based on eight miniatures by Nikolo Mitsishvili

Abstract

The article presents a preliminary study based on eight miniatures by Nikolo Mitsishvili, exploring key themes related to justice, the state, and the human self. Additionally, the article investigates the concept of re-humanizing the deconstructed self in the context of an unjust state. Mitsishvili’s miniatures serve as both structural and conceptual foundations for the article, guiding its division into sections based on the miniatures themselves and the specific research issues they metaphorically address. For instance: [1] Mitsishvili’s imagery of “walking” symbolizes the self’s desire to transcend a static existence; [2] the concept of “human” is redefined as a quasi-human state; [3] the butterfly is likened to a person trapped in self-destructive behavior; [4] life-creation is interpreted as the process of constructing an absurd or unjust state; [5] the temporality of coexistence reveals the self’s inevitable solitude; [6] dreams are presented as simulated or idealized realities, contrasting with an unjust world; [7] silence is seen as an illustration of a voiceless society, lacking dialogue and thus undermining the principle of mutual presence among individuals; [8] melancholy is depicted as the emotional state of a person who, lacking knowledge, instead relies solely on faith, which leads to inverted thinking. Since happiness for the self depends on knowledge and understanding, faith - being the antithesis of knowledge - naturally engenders melancholy.

Methodologically, this study is situated at the intersection of literature and philosophy. Mitsishvili’s miniatures are treated as literary texts, analyzed through various philosophical frameworks to extract philosophical meaning. This approach allows for a philosophical decoding of the literary metaphors. Ultimately, the study argues that an unjust state can be likened to Plato’s allegory of the cave, where the self is denied freedom, coexistence, and knowledge. Within such a cave-like state, the individual exists merely as “human” - imprisoned, isolated, and immersed in belief rather than true understanding.