11:50 Here is the rest of the paragraph. “ Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” Without a single doubt in my mind this small paragraph has had the most profound impact in my life. This made me fall in love with Fyodor writing
That's been my main slogan when it comes to preaching to anyone. Anyone can do something stupid, but if you lie to yourself.. even a microscopic amount of stupidity will multiply by infinity instantly. That's how much bullshit you'll have to brainwash out of someone's brain with a toothbrush up the nostril, something like that.
Are you lying to yourself about love being important to life or are you lying about nothing matters and it’s all meaningless love is just a chemical mechanism
I like that take because it shows that you can value both and take the good and create a hybrid theory that is more well rounded. There's a need to be more strict and gaurded sometimes and a need to be caring and serve others as well.
It's more like Dostoyevski is Nietzsche's big brother. Nietzsche literally said it himself. All he ever thought Dostoyevski has come up with already and took the opposite stand with such knowledge, braking all of his conceptions. Such a shame he discovered Dostoyevski so, so very late.
I finished Brothers Karamazov last night. I barely slept. I was weeping helplessly as I closed the final chapter and could not control myself. I'm not even sure that I yet understand why I was weeping so hard, but I know that this book as deeply affected me right down to the pit of my soul. I can feel it. I don't think I'm the same man who opened up the first chapter of this book a month ago. Thank you for your analysis. Videos like this are really helping me to begin to understand what is happening to me and why I was so affected by this book.
I had the same experience at the end. Sometimes you laugh so hard you cry. I cried but then laughter emerged from within it. It became joyous. I was happy for the kids' future. Aleksey had become a young master.
Wow. So good thank you, for doing this. I like to read. And I read the brothers k years ago like 8 I think really good writing for sure, makes you feel for the characters.
Thanks! I enjoyed your descriptions of Dostoevsky’s thinking. I agree: love is all the reality there is. Everything else is anger, pain and suffering. I know this, yet I clutch to my heart and mind everything that is not love: I am a man of the world and don’t know how to be anything else. 😂 😂 😂
When I was a senior in high school, one of the 5 credit classes I took was solely about great literature, with 12 novels on the prospectus over the school year (this was in the late 70s, so there weren’t college level courses as is defined now). “Crime and Punishment” was one of those novels, and it absolutely changed my thinking….not about life, necessarily, but I definitely caught glimpses of the immense intellectual and psychological world; I felt my mind open in a way I’ll never forget and, thankfully, I’ve never allowed it to close. Dostoevsky’s thinking was so beautifully profound, that when I came to passages that moved me, I always had to share it with someone, something I’d never done before. I’ve never forgotten.
I had a similar experience when I read Crime and Punishment. My AP english class gave us a huge list of books to choose from, and I luckily chose something for Fyodor Dostoesky. I used to hate reading. Now i love it thanks to Dostoesky
Your analysis of the idiot was the best I have ever heard. Everyone I have heard talk about the book seem scared to touch the psychological motivations of the characters, which ironically is the whole point of the book, and they only end up giving a brief synopsis and a surface level analysis. This was what I have been searching for.
Nietzche is definitely an excellent motivator, but Dostoevsky really knows how valuable it can be to let you take a break and really make you feel relaxed.
This is the best interpretation of Brothers K I've ever heard.. That Ivan "loves the idea of people" but doesn't love actual people." is brilliant. Loving people in your life is far more important and requires real work.
I really am not a spiritual person, but the story of the grand inquisitor truely touched me. I struggle with a lot of negative and judging thoughts, finding myselve in the role of the inquisitor. The idea that all my thoughts lose their meaning in the face of actual love brings me to tears.
The best way to deal with negative and judgmental thinking-a horrible scourge of the mind which _must be rooted out_ if you’re to have any humanity in your hear and mind-is to help others much less fortunate than you. Find some charity or place which serves mentally ill or indigent people and volunteer, with the intention that you’re going to try very hard to connect with their humanity. Then find a good therapist to help you find out why your mind works in that negative and self destructive direction. People who judge others have an inflated sense of their own intellect and of their own importance….in conflict, they blame rather than try to find a solution. You don’t have to be remotely religious minded to takes quotes attributed to Jesus: “Judge not lest YE be judged,” and,”Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” (as in the practice of crowds who stoned people to death for some infraction).
@voraciousreader3341 In America it is a horrific fact that many Christians have been so totally taken in by the likes of Ayn Rand that they consider even Christian Charity to be 'woke'. These people obviously never read the four gospels properly. The excesses of the current (& 2nd) Gilded Age are killing America's soul little by little.
You probably say all sorts of mean-spirited things to yourself after making a mistake ( or perceived ‘mistake’ ) But what would you say to a dear friend who made such a ‘mistake’ himself? So put yourself in that friend’s place, be that friend to yourself, speak to yourself using kind words.
Want to REALLY "change the way (you) see things?" Try God's Word - the Bible; Dostoevsky's "wisdom" is as "foolishness" in God's sight --- so if it's 'wisdom' you're REALLY after, you can do NO better than study the Bible.
@@orlandovelez5412 brooo let people be. Everyone is different and everyone is equal. Some people find philosophers enlightening, some the bible. As an believer in god and advocate of the bible, you would understand, right?
@@thenoobynator6657 Simply stated a point of FACT - which may be gleaned from God's Word by any who would CARE to do that. My point? It's silly to hang on the word of fallible MAN - when one may obtain INfallible enlightenment from He who created the universe. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once remarked: "What can we know? What are we all? Poor, silly, half-brained things ... peering out at the infinite with the aspiration of Angels - and the instincts of ... Beasts!"
@@orlandovelez5412 I am not able to see it as a fact. It's not that I don't want to. But I'm not convinced of god and religion in general as a fact. To me it feels too contradictory to believe in a certain religion. Because every religion has a different god(s) and converting to one Religion feels like just choosing which kind of god I like the most. I would feel like a hypocrite if I accepted one Religion as the ultimate truth of the universe, when there are other religions which also claim to know the ultimate truth of the universe. That's religion, a human concept of believing in a very specific god in hope of a specific reward in the afterlife and guidance while still alive. So it's entirely possible that there is a higher being out there. But if it actually wants us to believe in it, then we would know for certain, like REALLY certain, right? If god is all-powerful he would for sure punish me right here right now, right? For sure other religions couldn't exist, right? On the other hand if he doesn't want us to believe in him. Well do I have to explain, that it's just as bad as if he didn't exist? Because how I see it, it would mean that he abandoned us. Especially the people who believe in him. Really explain it to me how can you can be so certain that you can call anything related to a higher being a truth or a fact? It's so contradictory to me. Oh I also wanted to mention that we don't know if every religion and everything related to any kind of god isn't human made. You already stated that we can't trust ourselves and our knowledge, since we are flawed. But how can we then not get skeptical if the possibility of every god being human made, isn't out of the room? If this is really the case then believing in the existence of some kind of god could very well even be one of the deceptions caused by the flaws of the human condition.
@@omarfaruque2757 Alexander Nehamas' Nietzche : Life as Litterature which I am about to finish. The blue notebook by wittgenstein which i am about to start. Dostoievski's Brother Karamazov, that sort of stuff
@@Laocoon283 not quite there yet, thanks, it's been on the coffee table for the last... 14 months. It keeps getting pushed further down the queue as I'm finishing others. I did read "Nietszche, life as litterature" which was stellar and just started a book on french silent cinema years 1927-28 though. I also bought and read Wittgenstein's blue book, though I can't say i find philology really appealing. I do intend to buy some of Nabokov's works too. How about you ?
@@paulf3999 oh that silent film era one sounds cool. I just read a bunch of dostoevsky for the first (CnP, idiot, karamazov)time so I was just curious what you thought if you had read karamazov.
My friend, this video was incredible. I especially loved your comparison of Neitzsche and Dostoyevsky along with your commentary on the Grand Inquisitor. You catching that the Inquisitor’s interpretation of love is really his own power was something I had not realized in my own reading. Thank you for this.
I got a lot out of listening to this and I’m an ardent fan of Dostoevsky. I absolutely do not think you talk to slow but rather other you tubers talk ridiculously fast. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for letting me know I was helpful! That’s my favorite thing to hear. And thanks for your kind wishes! Yes, making videos absolutely helps me too. I hope I wouldn’t even bother posting them otherwise, because if they didn’t help me, how could I expect them to help anyone else?
This is one of the greatest videos I've ever seen in this platform, this really gave me a lot of insights about life and how life a life removed from isolation we are all embracing.
This is my favorite video on YT. I come back to this video often and it has proven a consistent source of inspiration and comfort. I have a deep appreciation for Dostoevsky and analyses of his works, but yours is the most coherent and approachable dissection of Dostoevky's philosophy that i have ever heard. Thank you for the time and energy you put into making this, from what ive seen in the comments, it has impacted many more lives than just mine.
This is one of the most powerful videos ive ever ever watched. Thank you so much. As a 26 year old man I now recall a kinder way that I used to live. I'm an empathetic person, but unfortunately driven by ego and ultimately insecurity. Social media is terrible in that it pushes everyone to ego and comparison.
i put this in the background while doing something else and i actually had to lay down on the floor to listen. very thought provoking. im currently rereading brothers karamazov and now i feel like i will get even more out of it
I just started reading Notes from the Underground and stumbled upon this video. I must say this is gold! You've motivated me to read more of Dostoevsky's works. Thanks!👏
Wonderfully presented and explained. It was very engaging. Thank you for educating us and especially for suggesting the further reading in the way you explained it. I was looking to read but was unsure where to start. This gives me a fair understanding. Thanks a lot
Thank you very much for making this! I was already pretty familiar with Nietzsche, but I haven't ever gotten to understand what Dostoevsky was all about, so this really opened me up to a new perspective!
I have gotten to 3:46 and stopped to absorb just the initial views of each author about love. Then I decided to read some of the comments and I am stunned at the honesty of self-reflection and open vulnerability of the commenters. What an amazing thing for a "literature-philosophy" video to evoke. I can't wait to see the rest of the video. Why Alexander Y, you deserve alot of credit as well as your viewership.
Many Philosophical writings should come with a warning, a heads up to the unsuspecting literary travellers that the words within can seriously alter your life. Thank you for shining a light onto some intriguing works of a quite extraordinary man👍
Why would you _ever_ wish to warn people, in order to keep them from having an immense soul-affirming experience through reading the works of this great author and thinker?? *Isn’t that the whole point of reading literature in the first place??*. I really have no clue why you would write such a thing!
@@voraciousreader3341 I think the realisations of knowledge and self can lead many into a dissatisfied, desperate, despair. An absurd lifetime of the mundane. Many Philosophers were such creatures at heart, but they had the strength to redefine the struggles...not be swallowed up by them. The Myth of Sisyphus Albert Camus.. the absurd life... a good read👍
@@booshank2327 👍quite distressing watching the attention span of many humans shrinking. And the effects of very poor, unsophisticated propaganda, on the populations.
Just came across your channel and this video and..... wow. Just wow, I can’t put it much j to words but this video is absolutely spectacular, one of the best I may have seen on TH-cam ever. As someone who was starting out with reading Dostoevsky, I first read the idiot and while I did like his character’s thoughts in stuff like the painting of the dead Christ I must confess at other times I wasn’t really that invested and Myshkin is a character I have conflicting thoughts about. This video definitely helps make me appreciate it more. I read notes from the underground too and it was interesting to read too. I have to be honest I have started crime and punishment with the Richard pevear translation and I do enjoy the beginning I must confess I am worried I will not enjoy it as much. It’s the reason the brothers karamazov is something I have read so many user’s experiences of, but with that I may have tainted my own experience of it with so many preconceived notions. As a Muslim I too identify with his thoughts on religion, though I am doubting myself on my own religious affiliation and worry I may end up becoming a bigot, and I want to experience it as great as you, but I don’t know if I can. I hope I can but I must confess I am a bit afraid. But even still this video definitely shows me why philosophy in many ways especially here can be life changing, thank you so much for making this, bless you Update: I read crime and punishment and it probably is my favourite Dostoevsky work so far. I must confess though I wasn’t inspired by the novel like everyone else, and Dostoevsky’s writing style I have some problems with. I do fear again I probably won’t enjoy brothers karamazov, but I do hope I can get past preconceived notions
Dostoevsky knows you are reading one of his Novels. So the Sly old dog puts a character in the story that reminds you of yourself. Then he makes dam sure you don't like what you read
I only fully grasp everything at x1.0 speed, as you articulate very well. Your video is very insightful, and I actually found myself relating to Dostoyvski point of view at multiple occasions, thanks for this, definitely gonna check out your other videos if you have.
I like how you stealthy-weaved a bit of wittgenstein into the part about the pointlessness of proofs for God. Your videos are always worth the wait and very much appreciated. 💗
Yeah, I can’t help it. That’s just my brain now. Wittgenstein was heavily influenced by Dostoevsky, so it’s hard for me not to read him at least a little tiny bit in that light. In fact, Wittgenstein could actually recite passages of The Brothers Karamazov by 💗!
I don't comment often, but I just want to say I really appreciate your videos. The Napoleon film video was great, the film itself was as well and I'm happy to have had gotten the recommendation for it. I don't want to waste much time, but thank you very much for this video. Dostoevsky is my favorite writer and his message is exactly what I needed in life at this time. I hope you start a patreon so I can better show my appreciation.
TOP TWENTY FAVORITE BOOKS. 1) "Verbal Behavior" by Dr. B. F. Skinner 2) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 3) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev 4) Myth Adventures - series by Robert Asprin 5) The Chronicles of Narnia - series by C. S. Lewis 6) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy 7) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 8) "Roots" by Alex Haley 9) The Silmarillion - The Hobbit, or there and back again - The Lord of the Rings - Middle Earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien 10) Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov 11) "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin 12) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 13) "Paris 1919: six months that changed the world" by Margaret MacMillian 14) "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen 15) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - by Mark Twain 16) Old Mother West Wind series - wildlife series by Thornton Burgess 17) "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif 18) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 19) "Kon Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl 20) "From Beirut to Jerusalem" by Thomas Friedman The Bible is written by many authors and thus it is not included in the list, but obviously it is the best book in existence.
Wow! Thank you for this list of best reads. Yes, my Bible transcends all, but I'm thrilled to challenge my ability to "dive in" to these others. See you in the clouds my friend!
@@Mrs.C-6721, I've been growing the list. Goodreads really helped me get a list to stare at, but now that I have made the beginning of a list, it gets easier. TOP FIFTY (50) FAVORITE BOOKS by TommyLovesEli on Goodreads, which is me. The Bible is written by many authors and thus it is not included in the list, but obviously it is the best book in existence. I also do not call something a different story when the same world is used by the same author to create a story. TOP FIFTY (50) FAVORITE BOOKS. 1) "Verbal Behavior" by Dr. B. F. Skinner 2) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 3) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev 4) Myth Adventures - series by Robert Asprin 5) The Chronicles of Narnia - series by C. S. Lewis 6) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy 7) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 8) "Roots" by Alex Haley 9) The Silmarillion - The Hobbit, or there and back again - The Lord of the Rings - Middle Earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien 10) Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov 11) "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin 12) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 13) "Paris 1919: six months that changed the world" by Margaret MacMillian 14) "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen 15) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - by Mark Twain 16) Old Mother West Wind series - wildlife series by Thornton Burgess 17) "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif 18) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 19) "Kon Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl 20) "From Beirut to Jerusalem" by Thomas Friedman 21) "The Berdine Un-Theory of Evolution: and Other Scientific Studies Including Hunting, Fishing, and Sex" by William C. Berdine 22) "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice 23) "Torrents of Spring" by Ivan Turgenev 24) "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis 25) "Emma" by Jane Austen 26) "In the First Circle" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 27) The Beatrix Potter books - animal story series by Beatrix Potter 28) "27" or "Siebenundzwanzig" by William Diehl 29) "A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean 30) "Winnie the Pooh" by A. A. Milne 31) "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott 32) "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank 33) "Papillon" by Henri Charrière 34) "The Onion Field" by Joseph Wambaugh 35) "Silas Marner" by George Eliot 36) "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven Levitt 37) "The Black Tulip" by Alexandre Dumas 38) "A Child called 'It"" by Dave Pelzer 39) "Life on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain 40) "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 41) "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell 42) “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris 43) “Sense and Sensibility” by Jane Austen 44) “The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus” by Joel Chandler Harris 45) “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson 46) “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley 47) “Science and Human Behavior” by Dr. B. F. Skinner 48) "The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: an Experiment in Literary Investigation" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 49) “Persuasion” by Jane Austen 50) “The Autistic Child: Language Development Through Behavior Modification” by Dr. Ole Ivar Lovaas
The Bible has One author written through many hands. This especially becomes apparent when the Holy Spirit teaches you directly from it, connecting parts you would never see on your own. It is a single masterpiece, written through many different obedient children of God.
After listening to your take on Dostoyevsky I’m revisiting Sir John Gielgud’s ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ monologue. You are good. Have my subscription. Looking forward to more uploads
To me the most valuable in reading Dostoyevsky always was that somehow I could see myself from outside in I’ve read most of his books Dostoyevsky makes you live in his novels I don’t know it’s psychology philosophy or genius but it feels so real I’ve read some Nietzsche as well and even though I found his ideas interesting I’ve struggled through his books
Thanks so much. I've been a longtime fan of Dostoevsky. Only recently read the prison memoirs WOW phew so great. Towards the end he described the "theatricals", the prisoners were allowed to put on shows. The productions were beset by passionate conflicts among the participants. Drama- queen- ism is timeless
I said that to a friend once -- someone much wiser than me -- and they told me "Don't say that. I can't save anyone. Only God can". I know that's not a relatable way of putting it for a lot of people. I'm sorry if that's the case here, but however we put it, I think that means something very important. I feel incredibly lucky to have received your comment and incredibly lucky to have a chance to teach people and talk about this kind of stuff, but aside from being particularly lucky, I'm pretty sure I'm just some guy. I can't save anyone. Seriously, though, thank you for telling me about your experience! It gives me a lot of joy and reassures me about making TH-cam videos.
The Brothers Karamazov movie with William Shatner and Yul Brenner is a great movie and great assist to help with those who might struggle with reading the whole book.
It’s funny how we always stumble upon things like this just when we need them the most. Although, I always feel as though I need something like this. I struggle immensely with shame, pride, and a fragile ego.
Thank you, this is a wonderful video. I do feel a lot of sympathy for Neetzsche, because even though Dostoyevsky's love is true, it does feel scary and you really can't possess people and that leaves you vulnerable to them leaving you, always.
I am utterly lost for words. This is by far the best commentary on The Grand Inquisitor and the Idiot I’ve ever encountered. Also a lot of really great philosophical ideas in between. I would love to hear what you read
Well, I’m more than happy to oblige! I’ve actually been thinking recently about how I might include more reading lists on the TH-cam channel. (I don’t really like the idea of doing any reading list videos, since I don’t find those to be a very convenient resource. I like to be able to quickly reference these things at a glance.) Anyway, you can see a lot my favorite authors and thinkers already on the channel. Nietzsche and Wittgenstein were both big influences in understanding Dostoevsky. My introductions to them both already contain “Further Reading” sections, but I don’t think I mentioned Wittgenstein’s LECTURES AND CONVERSATIONS ON AESTHETICS, PSYCHOLOGY, AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF. That book has affected how I approach any sort of spiritual or philosophical text. In trying to understand the parable of THE GRAND INQUISITOR in particular, I was also thinking a lot about Cormac McCarthy’s BLOOD MERIDIAN. McCarthy is a student of Dostoevsky, and in many ways, I think BLOOD MERIDIAN is meant to be a retelling of THE GRAND INQUISITOR story - except this time, with far more scalping. It’s a truly terrifying book that definitely stands on its own. I was familiar with it long before reading Dostoevsky, and it definitely gave me another foothold for understanding him. I also watched a movie version of McCarhty’s two man play, THE SUNSET LIMITED, while working on this video. That’s his most direct and obvious rip-off of THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. The two characters are basically modern American versions of Ivan and Father Zosima. It also had some influence. One of my other entry points for Dostoevsky was the filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. In fact, it was researching Tarkovsky that originally got me to start reading Dostoevsky, since Tarkovsky was obsessed with him. Tarkovsky’s STALKER (1979) is probably his most Dostoevsky-inspired film, and it definitely influenced the discussions about faith in this video. Tarkosvky’s interviews and writings also had an influence, but it’s hard to recommend any of those, since you’d have to already be pretty interested in his films. (I often focus heavily on a particular person and try to read almost everything they’ve written, including letters and such. My knowledge is not very broad at all.) In regards to discussing THE IDIOT, Nietzsche was by far the biggest influence. There’s another book, however, that sometimes rattles around in my head when thinking about shame. It’s a contemporary, academic philosophy book called SHAME AND NECESSITY by Bernard Williams. I read it a long time ago and don’t know how well it stands up. It’s probably a quite dry, but it did give me a gateway for better understanding Nietzsche (and by extension, Dostoevsky). It explores the subject of shame in relation to the ancient Greeks. Lastly, I’ve recently been reading a lot of spiritual and religious texts, but at the time of making this video, my frame of reference for these things was actually pretty limited. I was only really familiar with the TAO TE CHING, BHAGAVAD GITA, and BIBLE. Of course, it’s not considered polite to recommend these kinds of books too strongly to anyone, but if I’m being candid, these are actually the sorts of books most worth reading (along with the UPANISHADS, ZHUANGZI, DIAMOND SUTRA, etc.). No novel or philosophical work can really compare with these (even if we include the PHILOSOPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS!). I don’t think it’s even close. There’s a funny scene in THE SUNSET LIMITED expressing this idea. Like I almost imply at the end of the video, the NEW TESTAMENT and EPISTLES OF PAUL, in particular, were probably the most significant thing for me in terms of understanding Dostoevsky. Paul has an especially bad rep with some people for coming off as too “institutional” or “church-y”, but what ROMANS and CORINTHIANS 1 have to say about life is beautiful and astounding. Also, everyone should at least read JOB and ECCLESIASTES. They’re both incredibly wise, if you’re ready for them. I’m tempted to mention many more texts of this genre, but I should probably wait until I have a greater familiarity and more comprehensive view. Also, it makes sense to just stick to the subject of Dostoevsky here. Most of the books I’ve mentioned are actually potential starting points for future videos, so there may be an opportunity to say more in the future. I can’t make any promises about any kind of future internet activity, though. Anyway, I’m sorry to have said so much. Thank you for your kind words and for the opportunity to blather about books. I’ve secretly always wanted someone to ask me what I read. I love making lists of books. I probably only make these videos so I can put lists of books at the end. I hope you’re having a good day too!
@@whyalexandery wow, the detail you went into got me pretty excited. I haven’t heard of some of the names you mentioned so I’m looking forward to getting into those. If they’re anything like reading Nietzsche and the religious texts you mentioned there’s going to be a lot to digest. Anyhow thanks for the list, I’m hoping you get to put out those future videos you said you can’t promise :) It would be interesting to hear what you have to say about the books you mentioned!
My favourite quote is Ivan's "all the wisdom in the world isn't worth a single child's tears, I hold this to be true- even if I'm wrong"
Meaning, life's suffering all the way since adults are still incapable of not eliminating completely the pain and unmet needs of the children
Don't think you are wrong. That idea is wonderful.
Not a god's plan is worth it
What if the child’s tears are wrong? 🧐
he meant suffering by this Socrates@@mr100x3
11:50 Here is the rest of the paragraph. “ Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”
Without a single doubt in my mind this small paragraph has had the most profound impact in my life. This made me fall in love with Fyodor writing
tel 😊
Thank you for the quote.
That's been my main slogan when it comes to preaching to anyone. Anyone can do something stupid, but if you lie to yourself.. even a microscopic amount of stupidity will multiply by infinity instantly. That's how much bullshit you'll have to brainwash out of someone's brain with a toothbrush up the nostril, something like that.
Are you lying to yourself about love being important to life or are you lying about nothing matters and it’s all meaningless love is just a chemical mechanism
@@lizzzarduh correlation doesn't equal causation.
i think dostovsky is the caring mother and neitzche is the strict father
I kinda think of Dostoevsky as the wise old man and Nietzche as the loony uncle you keep locked up in the attic!
They're Ivan and Alyosha
I like that take because it shows that you can value both and take the good and create a hybrid theory that is more well rounded. There's a need to be more strict and gaurded sometimes and a need to be caring and serve others as well.
It's more like Dostoyevski is Nietzsche's big brother. Nietzsche literally said it himself. All he ever thought Dostoyevski has come up with already and took the opposite stand with such knowledge, braking all of his conceptions. Such a shame he discovered Dostoyevski so, so very late.
Caring mothers have to be aware to know when to let the child suffer and learn, and then die to become a man.
I finished Brothers Karamazov last night. I barely slept. I was weeping helplessly as I closed the final chapter and could not control myself. I'm not even sure that I yet understand why I was weeping so hard, but I know that this book as deeply affected me right down to the pit of my soul. I can feel it. I don't think I'm the same man who opened up the first chapter of this book a month ago.
Thank you for your analysis. Videos like this are really helping me to begin to understand what is happening to me and why I was so affected by this book.
Alyosha last speaking is one of the most beautiful things ever written in human history.
I had the same experience at the end. Sometimes you laugh so hard you cry. I cried but then laughter emerged from within it. It became joyous. I was happy for the kids' future. Aleksey had become a young master.
Wow. So good thank you, for doing this. I like to read. And I read the brothers k years ago like 8 I think really good writing for sure, makes you feel for the characters.
bro said weeping helplessly 😭
I'm so glad you exist
I'm glad you exist too! When I first saw your comment, it made my day.
I am glad that he exists
If you think he's good.. wait until you try crack my friend. You just wait!
You jinxed it. Now he no longer exists and hasn't upload since a year
Thanks! I enjoyed your descriptions of Dostoevsky’s thinking. I agree: love is all the reality there is. Everything else is anger, pain and suffering. I know this, yet I clutch to my heart and mind everything that is not love: I am a man of the world and don’t know how to be anything else. 😂 😂 😂
When I was a senior in high school, one of the 5 credit classes I took was solely about great literature, with 12 novels on the prospectus over the school year (this was in the late 70s, so there weren’t college level courses as is defined now). “Crime and Punishment” was one of those novels, and it absolutely changed my thinking….not about life, necessarily, but I definitely caught glimpses of the immense intellectual and psychological world; I felt my mind open in a way I’ll never forget and, thankfully, I’ve never allowed it to close. Dostoevsky’s thinking was so beautifully profound, that when I came to passages that moved me, I always had to share it with someone, something I’d never done before. I’ve never forgotten.
Nowadays high school students are given choices between Tortilla Curtain and Toni Morrison.
Can you share the list of books if you remember them? My school didn't have us read any of these. I'm in my 20s and just discovered who this man is
I had a similar experience when I read Crime and Punishment. My AP english class gave us a huge list of books to choose from, and I luckily chose something for Fyodor Dostoesky. I used to hate reading. Now i love it thanks to Dostoesky
Your analysis of the idiot was the best I have ever heard. Everyone I have heard talk about the book seem scared to touch the psychological motivations of the characters, which ironically is the whole point of the book, and they only end up giving a brief synopsis and a surface level analysis.
This was what I have been searching for.
❤✅
the "conflict" of Love, excellent point
Nietzche is definitely an excellent motivator, but Dostoevsky really knows how valuable it can be to let you take a break and really make you feel relaxed.
This is the best interpretation of Brothers K I've ever heard.. That Ivan "loves the idea of people" but doesn't love actual people." is brilliant. Loving people in your life is far more important and requires real work.
❤✅
@@raskolnikov1461 BScovv
Nv BSc
NC:
@@raskolnikov1461 Viv
I really am not a spiritual person, but the story of the grand inquisitor truely touched me. I struggle with a lot of negative and judging thoughts, finding myselve in the role of the inquisitor. The idea that all my thoughts lose their meaning in the face of actual love brings me to tears.
The best way to deal with negative and judgmental thinking-a horrible scourge of the mind which _must be rooted out_ if you’re to have any humanity in your hear and mind-is to help others much less fortunate than you. Find some charity or place which serves mentally ill or indigent people and volunteer, with the intention that you’re going to try very hard to connect with their humanity. Then find a good therapist to help you find out why your mind works in that negative and self destructive direction. People who judge others have an inflated sense of their own intellect and of their own importance….in conflict, they blame rather than try to find a solution. You don’t have to be remotely religious minded to takes quotes attributed to Jesus: “Judge not lest YE be judged,” and,”Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” (as in the practice of crowds who stoned people to death for some infraction).
@voraciousreader3341 In America it is a horrific fact that many Christians have been so totally taken in by the likes of Ayn Rand that they consider even Christian Charity to be 'woke'. These people obviously never read the four gospels properly. The excesses of the current (& 2nd) Gilded Age are killing America's soul little by little.
You probably say all sorts of mean-spirited things to yourself after making a mistake ( or perceived ‘mistake’ ) But what would you say to a dear friend who made such a ‘mistake’ himself? So put yourself in that friend’s place, be that friend to yourself, speak to yourself using kind words.
Reading Dostoevsky really changed the way I see things it was eye opening in so many levels
Dostoevsky is my soulmate
you also turn yourself from a pesron with free will to a kholop with need to kill or rape someone to proof yourself that you are still not an animal?
Want to REALLY "change the way (you) see things?" Try God's Word - the Bible; Dostoevsky's "wisdom" is as "foolishness" in God's sight --- so if it's 'wisdom' you're REALLY after, you can do NO better than study the Bible.
@@orlandovelez5412 brooo let people be. Everyone is different and everyone is equal. Some people find philosophers enlightening, some the bible. As an believer in god and advocate of the bible, you would understand, right?
@@thenoobynator6657 Simply stated a point of FACT - which may be gleaned from God's Word by any who would CARE to do that. My point? It's silly to hang on the word of fallible MAN - when one may obtain INfallible enlightenment from He who created the universe. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once remarked: "What can we know? What are we all? Poor, silly, half-brained things ... peering out at the infinite with the aspiration of Angels - and the instincts of ... Beasts!"
@@orlandovelez5412 I am not able to see it as a fact. It's not that I don't want to. But I'm not convinced of god and religion in general as a fact. To me it feels too contradictory to believe in a certain religion. Because every religion has a different god(s) and converting to one Religion feels like just choosing which kind of god I like the most. I would feel like a hypocrite if I accepted one Religion as the ultimate truth of the universe, when there are other religions which also claim to know the ultimate truth of the universe. That's religion, a human concept of believing in a very specific god in hope of a specific reward in the afterlife and guidance while still alive.
So it's entirely possible that there is a higher being out there. But if it actually wants us to believe in it, then we would know for certain, like REALLY certain, right? If god is all-powerful he would for sure punish me right here right now, right? For sure other religions couldn't exist, right? On the other hand if he doesn't want us to believe in him. Well do I have to explain, that it's just as bad as if he didn't exist? Because how I see it, it would mean that he abandoned us. Especially the people who believe in him. Really explain it to me how can you can be so certain that you can call anything related to a higher being a truth or a fact? It's so contradictory to me.
Oh I also wanted to mention that we don't know if every religion and everything related to any kind of god isn't human made. You already stated that we can't trust ourselves and our knowledge, since we are flawed. But how can we then not get skeptical if the possibility of every god being human made, isn't out of the room? If this is really the case then believing in the existence of some kind of god could very well even be one of the deceptions caused by the flaws of the human condition.
Thought you were dead man.
Never stop doing these, I'm buying all the books you're recommending.
What books? Name some.
@@omarfaruque2757 Alexander Nehamas' Nietzche : Life as Litterature which I am about to finish. The blue notebook by wittgenstein which i am about to start. Dostoievski's Brother Karamazov, that sort of stuff
@@paulf3999 did you ever read karamazov?
@@Laocoon283 not quite there yet, thanks, it's been on the coffee table for the last... 14 months. It keeps getting pushed further down the queue as I'm finishing others. I did read "Nietszche, life as litterature" which was stellar and just started a book on french silent cinema years 1927-28 though. I also bought and read Wittgenstein's blue book, though I can't say i find philology really appealing. I do intend to buy some of Nabokov's works too. How about you ?
@@paulf3999 oh that silent film era one sounds cool. I just read a bunch of dostoevsky for the first (CnP, idiot, karamazov)time so I was just curious what you thought if you had read karamazov.
My friend, this video was incredible. I especially loved your comparison of Neitzsche and Dostoyevsky along with your commentary on the Grand Inquisitor. You catching that the Inquisitor’s interpretation of love is really his own power was something I had not realized in my own reading. Thank you for this.
Found you recently for the Wittgenstein video, was reading The Idiot when you uploaded this
I got a lot out of listening to this and I’m an ardent fan of Dostoevsky. I absolutely do not think you talk to slow but rather other you tubers talk ridiculously fast. Keep up the great work.
I really liked this video. I hope making these make you happier and healthier spiritually, because this is the effect your analysis had on me.
Thanks for letting me know I was helpful! That’s my favorite thing to hear.
And thanks for your kind wishes! Yes, making videos absolutely helps me too. I hope I wouldn’t even bother posting them otherwise, because if they didn’t help me, how could I expect them to help anyone else?
This is one of the greatest videos I've ever seen in this platform, this really gave me a lot of insights about life and how life a life removed from isolation we are all embracing.
please keep making videos. this has been the most impactful youtube video i’ve ever watched (and i watch a ton of philosophical/spiritual videos)
This is my first time listening to your content, this is the content needed for these modern times... enlightening
Oh!! You're back!!!!!!!!!
I can't stop recommending and replaying your Nietzsche and Wittgenstein videos.
This is just great, great great. I need to rewatch this a few times. Thank you and tremendous work.
The beautiful way in which you articulate this thesis made me cry. I hope you know that your work is changing lives.
You had me thoroughly engaged from the start to the finish 💖. I didn't move! Thank you x
Good to see you back! Your intro to Nietzsche was top class, so looking forward to this.
This is my favorite video on YT. I come back to this video often and it has proven a consistent source of inspiration and comfort. I have a deep appreciation for Dostoevsky and analyses of his works, but yours is the most coherent and approachable dissection of Dostoevky's philosophy that i have ever heard. Thank you for the time and energy you put into making this, from what ive seen in the comments, it has impacted many more lives than just mine.
This is one of the most powerful videos ive ever ever watched. Thank you so much. As a 26 year old man I now recall a kinder way that I used to live. I'm an empathetic person, but unfortunately driven by ego and ultimately insecurity. Social media is terrible in that it pushes everyone to ego and comparison.
i put this in the background while doing something else and i actually had to lay down on the floor to listen. very thought provoking. im currently rereading brothers karamazov and now i feel like i will get even more out of it
Alright, this is one of the best video that I accidentally find on the internet, I hope you keep making this type of video!
Wow. Clicked on this expecting a literary lecture and got a years worth of sermons wrapped up in one. Beautiful. Thank you, thank you.
Probably one of the most valuebal video i have watched in recent times. Amazing work and thanks!
I just started reading Notes from the Underground and stumbled upon this video. I must say this is gold! You've motivated me to read more of Dostoevsky's works. Thanks!👏
Wonderfully presented and explained. It was very engaging. Thank you for educating us and especially for suggesting the further reading in the way you explained it. I was looking to read but was unsure where to start. This gives me a fair understanding. Thanks a lot
Thank you very much for making this! I was already pretty familiar with Nietzsche, but I haven't ever gotten to understand what Dostoevsky was all about, so this really opened me up to a new perspective!
I have gotten to 3:46 and stopped to absorb just the initial views of each author about love. Then I decided to read some of the comments and I am stunned at the honesty of self-reflection and open vulnerability of the commenters. What an amazing thing for a "literature-philosophy" video to evoke. I can't wait to see the rest of the video. Why Alexander Y, you deserve alot of credit as well as your viewership.
Definitely the most worthwhile video I have watched in a long time. Thank you.
Many Philosophical writings should come with a warning, a heads up to the unsuspecting literary travellers that the words within can seriously alter your life.
Thank you for shining a light onto some intriguing works of a quite extraordinary man👍
Why would you _ever_ wish to warn people, in order to keep them from having an immense soul-affirming experience through reading the works of this great author and thinker?? *Isn’t that the whole point of reading literature in the first place??*. I really have no clue why you would write such a thing!
@@voraciousreader3341
I think the realisations of knowledge and self can lead many into a dissatisfied, desperate, despair.
An absurd lifetime of the mundane.
Many Philosophers were such creatures at heart, but they had the strength to redefine the struggles...not be swallowed up by them.
The Myth of Sisyphus
Albert Camus.. the absurd life...
a good read👍
Lots of people don't read because of that, they're afraid they might learn something.
@@booshank2327
👍quite distressing watching the attention span of many humans shrinking.
And the effects of very poor, unsophisticated propaganda, on the populations.
Just came across your channel and this video and..... wow. Just wow, I can’t put it much j to words but this video is absolutely spectacular, one of the best I may have seen on TH-cam ever. As someone who was starting out with reading Dostoevsky, I first read the idiot and while I did like his character’s thoughts in stuff like the painting of the dead Christ I must confess at other times I wasn’t really that invested and Myshkin is a character I have conflicting thoughts about. This video definitely helps make me appreciate it more. I read notes from the underground too and it was interesting to read too. I have to be honest I have started crime and punishment with the Richard pevear translation and I do enjoy the beginning I must confess I am worried I will not enjoy it as much. It’s the reason the brothers karamazov is something I have read so many user’s experiences of, but with that I may have tainted my own experience of it with so many preconceived notions. As a Muslim I too identify with his thoughts on religion, though I am doubting myself on my own religious affiliation and worry I may end up becoming a bigot, and I want to experience it as great as you, but I don’t know if I can. I hope I can but I must confess I am a bit afraid. But even still this video definitely shows me why philosophy in many ways especially here can be life changing, thank you so much for making this, bless you
Update: I read crime and punishment and it probably is my favourite Dostoevsky work so far. I must confess though I wasn’t inspired by the novel like everyone else, and Dostoevsky’s writing style I have some problems with. I do fear again I probably won’t enjoy brothers karamazov, but I do hope I can get past preconceived notions
Consider viewing David Wood's critiques of Islam. I believe he is on Rumble. Very worth your time.
Dostoevsky knows you are reading one of his Novels. So the Sly old dog puts a character in the story that reminds you of yourself. Then he makes dam sure you don't like what you read
I only fully grasp everything at x1.0 speed, as you articulate very well. Your video is very insightful, and I actually found myself relating to Dostoyvski point of view at multiple occasions, thanks for this, definitely gonna check out your other videos if you have.
This explanation moved me, profoundly. Thank you. Brilliant.
I like how you stealthy-weaved a bit of wittgenstein into the part about the pointlessness of proofs for God. Your videos are always worth the wait and very much appreciated. 💗
Yeah, I can’t help it. That’s just my brain now. Wittgenstein was heavily influenced by Dostoevsky, so it’s hard for me not to read him at least a little tiny bit in that light. In fact, Wittgenstein could actually recite passages of The Brothers Karamazov by 💗!
Great work!! thank you for doing what you do Alex!
I don't comment often, but I just want to say I really appreciate your videos. The Napoleon film video was great, the film itself was as well and I'm happy to have had gotten the recommendation for it. I don't want to waste much time, but thank you very much for this video. Dostoevsky is my favorite writer and his message is exactly what I needed in life at this time. I hope you start a patreon so I can better show my appreciation.
It was extremely awesome and grand to.hear what I heard. It put peace in my heart . I am so glad of it.
This video is amazing! I hope you’ll upload again someday
Absolutely lovely. Please make more content like this.
This was wonderful listening. Thank you very much. I enjoyed this.
TOP TWENTY FAVORITE BOOKS.
1) "Verbal Behavior" by Dr. B. F. Skinner
2) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
3) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev
4) Myth Adventures - series by Robert Asprin
5) The Chronicles of Narnia - series by C. S. Lewis
6) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
7) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
8) "Roots" by Alex Haley
9) The Silmarillion - The Hobbit, or there and back again - The Lord of the Rings - Middle Earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien
10) Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov
11) "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin
12) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
13) "Paris 1919: six months that changed the world" by Margaret MacMillian
14) "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
15) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - by Mark Twain
16) Old Mother West Wind series - wildlife series by Thornton Burgess
17) "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif
18) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
19) "Kon Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl
20) "From Beirut to Jerusalem" by Thomas Friedman
The Bible is written by many authors and thus it is not included in the list, but obviously it is the best book in existence.
Wow! Thank you for this list of best reads. Yes, my Bible transcends all, but I'm thrilled to challenge my ability to "dive in" to these others. See you in the clouds my friend!
@@Mrs.C-6721, I've been growing the list. Goodreads really helped me get a list to stare at, but now that I have made the beginning of a list, it gets easier.
TOP FIFTY (50) FAVORITE BOOKS by TommyLovesEli on Goodreads, which is me.
The Bible is written by many authors and thus it is not included in the list, but obviously it is the best book in existence.
I also do not call something a different story when the same world is used by the same author to create a story.
TOP FIFTY (50) FAVORITE BOOKS.
1) "Verbal Behavior" by Dr. B. F. Skinner
2) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
3) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev
4) Myth Adventures - series by Robert Asprin
5) The Chronicles of Narnia - series by C. S. Lewis
6) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
7) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
8) "Roots" by Alex Haley
9) The Silmarillion - The Hobbit, or there and back again - The Lord of the Rings - Middle Earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien
10) Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov
11) "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin
12) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
13) "Paris 1919: six months that changed the world" by Margaret MacMillian
14) "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
15) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - by Mark Twain
16) Old Mother West Wind series - wildlife series by Thornton Burgess
17) "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif
18) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
19) "Kon Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl
20) "From Beirut to Jerusalem" by Thomas Friedman
21) "The Berdine Un-Theory of Evolution: and Other Scientific Studies Including Hunting, Fishing, and Sex" by William C. Berdine
22) "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice
23) "Torrents of Spring" by Ivan Turgenev
24) "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis
25) "Emma" by Jane Austen
26) "In the First Circle" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
27) The Beatrix Potter books - animal story series by Beatrix Potter
28) "27" or "Siebenundzwanzig" by William Diehl
29) "A River Runs Through It" by Norman Maclean
30) "Winnie the Pooh" by A. A. Milne
31) "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
32) "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
33) "Papillon" by Henri Charrière
34) "The Onion Field" by Joseph Wambaugh
35) "Silas Marner" by George Eliot
36) "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven Levitt
37) "The Black Tulip" by Alexandre Dumas
38) "A Child called 'It"" by Dave Pelzer
39) "Life on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain
40) "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
41) "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell
42) “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris
43) “Sense and Sensibility” by Jane Austen
44) “The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus” by Joel Chandler Harris
45) “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson
46) “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley
47) “Science and Human Behavior” by Dr. B. F. Skinner
48) "The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: an Experiment in Literary Investigation" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
49) “Persuasion” by Jane Austen
50) “The Autistic Child: Language Development Through Behavior Modification” by Dr. Ole Ivar Lovaas
Goethe, Milton and Dante are great authors aswell!
You put Chronicles of Narnia and Hobbits on the same level with Solzhenicyn and Tolstoy?🤣🤣🤣
The Bible has One author written through many hands. This especially becomes apparent when the Holy Spirit teaches you directly from it, connecting parts you would never see on your own. It is a single masterpiece, written through many different obedient children of God.
this made me understand so much in so many ways i cannot begin to express how much i appreciate this entire video
After listening to your take on Dostoyevsky I’m revisiting Sir John Gielgud’s ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ monologue. You are good. Have my subscription. Looking forward to more uploads
Thank you so much for the efforts. I appreciate what you have done,so awesome and inspiring.
Paradise is lost when one eats of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (judgement).
Man, the gift to be able to learn, and listen, and think...this is when I don't feel fractured and miserable. Excellent material.
Phenomenal! I could listen for hours about dostoevsky
Fantastic video, best I've seen on Dostoevsky. Thank you and great job
A fantastic presentation. I will need several listens plus note taking. Thanks so much.
i must say ... this is one of the best philosophical videos and philosophical interpretations i have ever encountered
Yo, I really appreciate your videos, keep up the amazibg work!
Thank you for making a video about a person im so interested in yet nobody seems to cover.
Fantastic video. Great explanations. I love the judgement vs love concept.
Great video, really comprehensive yet deeply insightful
So glad to see you post
First video I’ve ever seen of yours, but I smashed that “Subscribe” button. I like how you kinda sound like Owen Wilson too
This is an amazing video. Good work. This is the third or fourth time I am watching it.
To me the most valuable in reading Dostoyevsky always was that somehow I could see myself from outside in I’ve read most of his books Dostoyevsky makes you live in his novels I don’t know it’s psychology philosophy or genius but it feels so real I’ve read some Nietzsche as well and even though I found his ideas interesting I’ve struggled through his books
This was amazing. Let it sit with you. Well done.
What a wonderfully clear essay. Thank you.
This is a brilliant video, I do believe it's necessary to listen to it several times.
This is so well done, thank you for doing this, you saved me a thousand hours of intellectual labor
Thank you brother im an avowed Muslim and I greatly appreciate your commentary on faith and love
Thanks so much. I've been a longtime fan of Dostoevsky. Only recently read the prison memoirs WOW phew so great. Towards the end he described the "theatricals", the prisoners were allowed to put on shows. The productions were beset by passionate conflicts among the participants. Drama- queen- ism is timeless
One of the best videos I've seen on Dostoevsky
thank you so much for everything, from the bottom of my heart...you really saved me...
I said that to a friend once -- someone much wiser than me -- and they told me "Don't say that. I can't save anyone. Only God can".
I know that's not a relatable way of putting it for a lot of people. I'm sorry if that's the case here, but however we put it, I think that means something very important.
I feel incredibly lucky to have received your comment and incredibly lucky to have a chance to teach people and talk about this kind of stuff, but aside from being particularly lucky, I'm pretty sure I'm just some guy. I can't save anyone. Seriously, though, thank you for telling me about your experience! It gives me a lot of joy and reassures me about making TH-cam videos.
@@whyalexandery Kid: You got me out, you saved me.
Neo: I didn't save you, kid. You saved yourself. -The Matrix: Revolutions.
This video changed my mind, thanks for that❤
The Brothers Karamazov movie with William Shatner and Yul Brenner is a great movie and great assist to help with those who might struggle with reading the whole book.
God, this was beautifully done! Subscribing:)
It’s funny how we always stumble upon things like this just when we need them the most. Although, I always feel as though I need something like this.
I struggle immensely with shame, pride, and a fragile ego.
Thank you for calling out the spoilers bro, will have to get back at this video after I finish the books!
Haha I already watch your vids at 1.25 - 1.5 speed. Glad to see you picked up on that
Yes and no. The bit about the Inquisitor was wonderful. I love when I share thoughts with great minds.
Thank you, this is a wonderful video.
I do feel a lot of sympathy for Neetzsche, because even though Dostoyevsky's love is true, it does feel scary and you really can't possess people and that leaves you vulnerable to them leaving you, always.
Dude, im about 12 minutes in and I related so freaking hard, this is so amazing.
Wonderful job and very deep analysis.
Greatest writer who ever lived
This is an excellent video. Thank you so much.
Wow amazing video. Thank you for this blessing
This is very advanced and very well presented.
What a fantastic video, great work.
Sad this channel seems dead. This was an amazing video.
Thank you so much. One of my most read is "White Nights."
I am utterly lost for words. This is by far the best commentary on The Grand Inquisitor and the Idiot I’ve ever encountered. Also a lot of really great philosophical ideas in between. I would love to hear what you read
Well, I’m more than happy to oblige! I’ve actually been thinking recently about how I might include more reading lists on the TH-cam channel. (I don’t really like the idea of doing any reading list videos, since I don’t find those to be a very convenient resource. I like to be able to quickly reference these things at a glance.)
Anyway, you can see a lot my favorite authors and thinkers already on the channel. Nietzsche and Wittgenstein were both big influences in understanding Dostoevsky. My introductions to them both already contain “Further Reading” sections, but I don’t think I mentioned Wittgenstein’s LECTURES AND CONVERSATIONS ON AESTHETICS, PSYCHOLOGY, AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF. That book has affected how I approach any sort of spiritual or philosophical text.
In trying to understand the parable of THE GRAND INQUISITOR in particular, I was also thinking a lot about Cormac McCarthy’s BLOOD MERIDIAN. McCarthy is a student of Dostoevsky, and in many ways, I think BLOOD MERIDIAN is meant to be a retelling of THE GRAND INQUISITOR story - except this time, with far more scalping. It’s a truly terrifying book that definitely stands on its own. I was familiar with it long before reading Dostoevsky, and it definitely gave me another foothold for understanding him. I also watched a movie version of McCarhty’s two man play, THE SUNSET LIMITED, while working on this video. That’s his most direct and obvious rip-off of THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. The two characters are basically modern American versions of Ivan and Father Zosima. It also had some influence.
One of my other entry points for Dostoevsky was the filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. In fact, it was researching Tarkovsky that originally got me to start reading Dostoevsky, since Tarkovsky was obsessed with him. Tarkovsky’s STALKER (1979) is probably his most Dostoevsky-inspired film, and it definitely influenced the discussions about faith in this video. Tarkosvky’s interviews and writings also had an influence, but it’s hard to recommend any of those, since you’d have to already be pretty interested in his films. (I often focus heavily on a particular person and try to read almost everything they’ve written, including letters and such. My knowledge is not very broad at all.)
In regards to discussing THE IDIOT, Nietzsche was by far the biggest influence. There’s another book, however, that sometimes rattles around in my head when thinking about shame. It’s a contemporary, academic philosophy book called SHAME AND NECESSITY by Bernard Williams. I read it a long time ago and don’t know how well it stands up. It’s probably a quite dry, but it did give me a gateway for better understanding Nietzsche (and by extension, Dostoevsky). It explores the subject of shame in relation to the ancient Greeks.
Lastly, I’ve recently been reading a lot of spiritual and religious texts, but at the time of making this video, my frame of reference for these things was actually pretty limited. I was only really familiar with the TAO TE CHING, BHAGAVAD GITA, and BIBLE. Of course, it’s not considered polite to recommend these kinds of books too strongly to anyone, but if I’m being candid, these are actually the sorts of books most worth reading (along with the UPANISHADS, ZHUANGZI, DIAMOND SUTRA, etc.). No novel or philosophical work can really compare with these (even if we include the PHILOSOPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS!). I don’t think it’s even close. There’s a funny scene in THE SUNSET LIMITED expressing this idea.
Like I almost imply at the end of the video, the NEW TESTAMENT and EPISTLES OF PAUL, in particular, were probably the most significant thing for me in terms of understanding Dostoevsky. Paul has an especially bad rep with some people for coming off as too “institutional” or “church-y”, but what ROMANS and CORINTHIANS 1 have to say about life is beautiful and astounding.
Also, everyone should at least read JOB and ECCLESIASTES. They’re both incredibly wise, if you’re ready for them.
I’m tempted to mention many more texts of this genre, but I should probably wait until I have a greater familiarity and more comprehensive view. Also, it makes sense to just stick to the subject of Dostoevsky here. Most of the books I’ve mentioned are actually potential starting points for future videos, so there may be an opportunity to say more in the future. I can’t make any promises about any kind of future internet activity, though.
Anyway, I’m sorry to have said so much. Thank you for your kind words and for the opportunity to blather about books. I’ve secretly always wanted someone to ask me what I read. I love making lists of books. I probably only make these videos so I can put lists of books at the end. I hope you’re having a good day too!
@@whyalexandery wow, the detail you went into got me pretty excited. I haven’t heard of some of the names you mentioned so I’m looking forward to getting into those. If they’re anything like reading Nietzsche and the religious texts you mentioned there’s going to be a lot to digest. Anyhow thanks for the list, I’m hoping you get to put out those future videos you said you can’t promise :) It would be interesting to hear what you have to say about the books you mentioned!
Thanks for taking the onion and not kicking us in the face while you continue to build your TH-cam ch.
Brilliant work. Why did you stop uploading, please do more often.
Thanks.
Thank you for this video.🙏
An exceptionally helpful exposition.☑
Great video. I appreciate your effort
Beautiful explanation
This is so beautiful I’m going to cry
Having a child taught me what it meant to love someone more than myself…it’s a special pure beautiful but bittersweet love.
Absolutely brilliant.