classic literature

Aesthetics: A Christian Philosophy of Art (3/3)

November 12, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Aesthetics: A Christian Philosophy of Art (3/3)

What is the difference between art and propaganda? What makes some painters better than others? A Christian philosophy of art is desperately needed in our ugly and twisted culture. Francis Schaeffer, the Christian thinker of the 20th century, has valuable insights on how to judge art, as well as practical advise for art appreciation and Christian artists today. In this final installment, we bring together the final pieces of a Christian philosophy of art.

Aesthetics: C. S. Lewis on Judging & Enjoying Art (2/3)

October 8, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Aesthetics: C. S. Lewis on Judging & Enjoying Art (2/3)

In his book, An Experiment in Criticism (1961), C. S. Lewis suggests that instead of judging a book by how it was written, we should judge it on the kind of reading it inspires. If readers are deepened, continually drawn back to the work, only to find they love it more and more, then it is a good book. If not, then it is merely a book fit for entertainment, not a true piece of art. On Lewis’ view, beauty is transcendent, but art is personal. But what is Lewis’ view on the role that art fills in our lives? Is art something which helps develop us, or merely provide a kind of escape?

How to Waste Your Life (Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych)

July 30, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on How to Waste Your Life (Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych)

The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886) is a famous novella (short novel) by Leo Tolstoy which penetrates our cavalier attitude about death, challenges our notion of a fulfilling life, and warns of the tragedy we may be headed towards. Fortunately, it also portrays a potential solution to the vain and superficial lifestyle which often consumes us. With his signature style and psychological realism, Tolstoy’s work challenges us to consider life from its endpoint in order to live rightly before it is too late.

Dostoyevsky: The Problem of Pain, Part Two (4/4)

December 19, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Dostoyevsky: The Problem of Pain, Part Two (4/4)

Debating an atheist about evil is one thing, but how could we respond at the bedside of a dying child in the house of a desperate family? Dostoyevsky’s own son died at three years old, and interweaved in his Magnum Opus is a profound reflection on the result of tragedy––and how to keep tragedy from unraveling everything you care about.

Dostoyevsky: The Problem of Evil, Part One (3/4)

December 12, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Dostoyevsky: The Problem of Evil, Part One (3/4)

The problem of evil is one of the most cited arguments against Christianity and the existence of God in the modern age. Dostoyevsky’s brilliance articulated a potent blistering assault on the existence of God through Ivan Karamazov, a character who is as brilliant as he is passionate. The sentiment, “God does not exist––and I hate him!” could summarize his views, and the views of many atheists. But is atheism really better equipped to deal with the cruel realities life gives us? Is a tragic optimism, or even a deep insurmountable joy despite the tears, an unjustifiable position? It seems that despite the rage against God, atheism is not an intellectually consistent nor emotionally satisfying answer to the problem of evil.

Dostoyevsky: Does God Expect Too Much From Us? (The Grand Inquisitor) (2/4)

December 5, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Dostoyevsky: Does God Expect Too Much From Us? (The Grand Inquisitor) (2/4)

Within The Brothers Karamazov is a chapter so powerful, vivid, and shocking that it has since impacted the course of Western Civilization. The Grand Inquisitor declares that Jesus Christ has actually acted cruelly towards man for giving him free will, when he knows so many are too weak to follow Christ. Is that true? Does God expect too much from mere mortals? Are his rules, precepts and teachings simply too hard? Or are Christ’s commandments actually the gateway to a relationship with God? Perhaps even the road to virtue, even the destination of peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is about the journey rather than the destination.

Dostoyevsky: Introduction to The Brothers Karamazov (1/4)

November 28, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Dostoyevsky: Introduction to The Brothers Karamazov (1/4)

Dostoyevsky’s Introduction to The Brothers Karamazov

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Description

The Brothers Karamazov (1880) is the pinnacle of Dostoyevsky’s literary and intellectual work. His critique of European Enlightenment ideas, including atheism, utilitarianism, socialism and utopianism, find their culmination in this profound tome. Dostoyevsky wrestles with the problem of evil, unlike in his previous major novels, and also perfects his summary of the problem of atheism: “Without God, anything is permissible.” Dostoyevsky also ventures forth into existential territory, asking and answering questions regarding the goodness of life in the face of suffering and whether free will is a gift or a curse. All of this and more in a riveting murder mystery, featuring love triangles and prison escapes, pious monks and the lowest sinners.

Episode Notes

  • The featured oil on canvas is called Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoi (1837–1887). It was painted in 1883. I chose it because I think it perfectly depicts Grushenka: beautiful, mischevous and immoral. Grushenka is a central character in The Brothers Karamazov because she directly instigates the feud between Dimitri and Fyodor that leads to critical circumstantial evidence in Dimitri’s murder trial.
  • The featured piece is Piano Concerto No. 1 (Op. 23) – Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893), a Russian composer and contemporary of Dostoyevsky.

Dostoyevsky’s Unique Critique of Utopianism (Notes From Underground)

November 14, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Dostoyevsky’s Unique Critique of Utopianism (Notes From Underground)

Notes From Underground (1864) is a blistering assault on utopianism, socialism, and Marxism based on Dostoyevsky’s view of human nature. Even if a utopian society was attainable, says Dostoyevsky, we would not be satisfied by endless food, comfort and pleasure. If you satisfied every human desire, we would throw it all away just for something interesting to happen, just to give ourselves a challenge to overcome and prove that we are human beings and not lap dogs. According to Dostoyevsky, we would rather wallow in misery and self-pity than be handed everything on a silver-platter! It is our unique proclivity for destructive decisions that make us human, and we wouldn’t give that up for anything… even heaven on earth.

“All is Vanity!” Ecclesiastes & Chekhov’s The Bet

November 7, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on “All is Vanity!” Ecclesiastes & Chekhov’s The Bet

The prolific Russian author Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) explores the key themes of vanity and the meaninglessness of existence. A young lawyer finds himself in solitary confinement after accepting a bet, and has nothing but time to read every great book written by man. Yet in the end, he realizes that everything will be swallowed by death…

Dostoyevsky: “Without God, Anything is Permissible” (3/3)

October 31, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Dostoyevsky: “Without God, Anything is Permissible” (3/3)

Christian thinkers have argued for millennia that only God can give objective grounds for the transcendent moral law. Fyodor Dostoyevsky flips that equation in the face of the death of God in Russia, “Without God, anything is permissible.” That is, if God doesn’t exist, there is no such thing as an act that is off limits, immoral or evil. Dostoyevsky warned that if Russia tries to live out the European Enlightenment worldview, then society will quickly realize that a godless universe is a lawless universe.