The Brothers Karamazov
3 journalers for this copy...
There is so much to this amazing classic, it's impossible to get it all on the first reading. On one level, it's a murder mystery. The town lech, Fyodor Karamazov, is
murdered and all of his sons have one motive or another for wanting to murder
him. His oldest, Dmitry, appears to be guilty. Fyodor owed Dmitry 3000 rubles (mysteriously missing after Fyodor is killed) and they were both in love with the same woman.
But then on another level, the book is about the nature of faith and God. Each of the relationships is the relationship between ideas. It juxtaposes individualism with the affect of the social order on individuals.
Does faith in itself make people virtuous? Or is faith a structure to prevent people from acting NOT virtuous? Which is more important -- love for all humanity? Or love for the individual? For the religious, morality depends on the immortality of the soul. But, is that then truly morality? Is it morally superior to do wrong and hate yourself for it? Or to not know you're doing wrong at all? Where is the line between suspicion (there's this whole theme in the book that dishonest people cannot love because they will always be suspicious) and skepticism? Is the concept of sin a doomed idea intent on controlling the baser parts of what it means to be human? In which case, the idea redemption is just a way of distancing ourselves from our own humanity. If God gave free will, then why do the religious attempt to take it away? They take away free will and offer security instead, which is like saying God failed and they need to jump in and take over.
murdered and all of his sons have one motive or another for wanting to murder
him. His oldest, Dmitry, appears to be guilty. Fyodor owed Dmitry 3000 rubles (mysteriously missing after Fyodor is killed) and they were both in love with the same woman.
But then on another level, the book is about the nature of faith and God. Each of the relationships is the relationship between ideas. It juxtaposes individualism with the affect of the social order on individuals.
Does faith in itself make people virtuous? Or is faith a structure to prevent people from acting NOT virtuous? Which is more important -- love for all humanity? Or love for the individual? For the religious, morality depends on the immortality of the soul. But, is that then truly morality? Is it morally superior to do wrong and hate yourself for it? Or to not know you're doing wrong at all? Where is the line between suspicion (there's this whole theme in the book that dishonest people cannot love because they will always be suspicious) and skepticism? Is the concept of sin a doomed idea intent on controlling the baser parts of what it means to be human? In which case, the idea redemption is just a way of distancing ourselves from our own humanity. If God gave free will, then why do the religious attempt to take it away? They take away free will and offer security instead, which is like saying God failed and they need to jump in and take over.
Released on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 at postal release in Cortez, Colorado Controlled Releases.
I received this in the mail, and after I read it, I plan to send it to the next person on the list:)
CAUGHT IN CORTEZ CO USA
CAUGHT IN CORTEZ CO USA
I received the book in the mail some time ago, and am finally getting time to read it. I'm a little more than half-way thru, and when I'm finished I'll
send it on.
send it on.