Literature

Dostoyevsky: The Gospel and Redemption in Crime and Punishment (2/3)

In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov lives out the logical conclusions of atheism, utilitarianism, and Nietzsche’s view of morality by murdering a useless old pawnbroker. Despite the logical justifications for his crime, Rodion realizes that moral laws are fixed in the universe, and he cannot escape his guilty conscience regardless of his rationalizations. An atheistic worldview says that sin is a construct, and Raskolnikov is a hero. But this is clearly wrong. Will Raskolnikov confess, repent, and turn to Christianity for forgiveness? Or will narcissism and ideology drive him to utter despair while his mind and his heart wreak havoc on what is left of his sanity?

Dostoyevsky: Introduction to Crime and Punishment (1/3)

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881) is often regarded as one of the best novelists to ever live. He is known for his penetrating grasp of psychology, his understanding of the dark side of human nature, and his unbelievably accurate predictions of what the 20th century would hold if the socialist revolutionaries came to power. Dostoyevsky made an enormous impact on modern the modern worldview, contributing to 20th century realism, existentialism and literary criticism. His unsurpassed delivery of philosophical concepts in narrative form makes him a truly unique author in world history. Among his most famous works, Crime and Punishment is an excursion into the practical consequences of utilitarian ethics, an atheistic worldview and the absurdity of objective morality without a higher authority––all displayed in the form of a captivating murder mystery with engaging characters, plot twists and masterful prose.

Tolstoy: Free Will, History and Human Motivation (4/4)

Can human beings determine their own destiny, or are we the inevitable product of our environment and nature? Sam Harris is convinced that free will is an illusion. After all, if the world is just matter and motion, how could there be free will? Not everyone agrees with Harris, however, and many thinkers see free will as a self-evident axiom on which morality is based. The question of free will is one that every serious thinker must consider, and for Tolstoy, this is an essential prerequisite for the question of human motivation and therefore the cause and direction of history.

Tolstoy: What Can Beauty Teach Us? (3/4)

There are brief moments in our lives where we are thrust out of ourselves and granted to see life as exceptionally magnificent, but also too close to touch, and impossible to fathom. For some people, it is love, poetry, friendship or maybe a film which causes us to see our world as a beautiful and cohesive whole for a fleeting and mysterious moment. For Andrei, it is the sky over a battlefield, a few notes in a song, and the cold grip of death. What do these moments of profound insight and deep emotion show us about life?

Tolstoy: Can We Find The Meaning of Life? (2/4)

Pierre Bezukhov searches for meaning in high society, sacrifice, relationships and religion, but ultimately he finds these things purposeless. Seth Andrews, host of The Thinking Atheist, says that the question of meaning is a bad question. Jordan Peterson says that personal responsibility provides an adequate foundation for meaning. St. Augustine says our hearts are restless until they find God. Leo Tolstoy says we have the whole question backwards.

Tolstoy: Introduction to War and Peace (1/4)

With rhetorical mastery, psychological insight and an artist’s vision of the world, the prolific Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828—1910) takes a few narratives, a brutal war, and a modern view of history to capture all of life in his 1,200 page epic War and Peace. Tolstoy asks this pivotal question: how are decent people capable of war and slaughter? Then, Tolstoy digs deeper; what causes anyone’s behavior at all? War and Peace is Tolstoy’s answer to the question of human motivation, desire and interaction, from the scope of monarchs and peasants, soldiers and slaves, in country and city life alike. The finished product is one of the finest achievements in human civilization.

Why Read Classic Literature?

Most people today live complex lives. Who has time to read? More than that, who has time to read old books? If such few people can be convinced to read any book at all, how could anybody be convinced to read Anna Karenina or The Grapes of Wrath? Let me offer you a brief overview of the reasons why Great Books are timeless classics that you ought to read and cherish today––from the very voices of C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) and Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586).