Within the framework of the project “I Love Georgian – My State Language!”, Caucasus University hosted a public lecture  - “Freedom as a Radical Form of Thinking” delivered by Maia Badridze — a writer of distinctive voice, an original and exceptional thinker, and an outstanding translator.

Moderator: Professor Mariam Manjgaladze.

In her lecture, Maia Badridze reflected on Nietzsche’s idea of the mortal human being who kills the immortal God, drawing a parallel with Zviad Ratiani’s strikingly precise depiction of the existential fear of freedom: “We, who will never step outside / and never join our voices to the hungry knights…”; “And if we do enter, we enter only where we are allowed…”; “God is dead. We have killed him.”

The discussion explored the meaning behind Nietzsche’s provocative statement and the paradox it presents. Human beings are left alone before the world’s unanswered indifference and come to understand that they must create their own meaning, as the grand narratives have lost their force. This requires not isolation, but a conscious and active decision: to discover one’s own purpose in the world and to define the essence of human existence.

In the postcolonial era, the collapse of the Soviet Empire compelled individuals to confront this reality with new urgency. Yet standing face to face with such clarity is possible only through a radical form of thinking, since it demands rejecting the system of values that creates an illusion of security. It may be said that, for both authors, freedom lies in the multiplicity of alternatives, and that finding oneself within this multiplicity is one of the essential purposes of human existence.