Why You Need to Read Dostoyevsky - Prof. Jordan Peterson
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.พ. 2018
- Psychology professor Jordan B. Peterson highly recommends the works of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881) and discusses the classic novel “Crime and Punishment”.
This clip is only a small excerpt of Jordan Peterson's lecture “2017 Personality 04 05 Heroic and Shamanic Initiations” held at the University of Toronto. You can watch it entirely here: • 2017 Personality 04/05...
If you - by chance - would like to get started with Dostoyevsky, here are some useful links.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Amazon page:
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Crime and Punishment:
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You may also be interested to know that Dr. Peterson's book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” is finally available. You can find it here:
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Don't miss out on his best selling first book “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief” which much of his lecture material is based on:
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The above are Amazon affiliate links.
Please visit www.psyche-matters.net for categorized clips and more Jordan B. Peterson related content!
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If you - by chance - would like to get started with Dostoyevsky, here are some useful links. Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Amazon page: amzn.to/2EYxL1m (US) / amzn.to/2orAQMO (UK) / amzn.to/2EXxsnb (CA)
Crime and Punishment: amzn.to/2opujCy (US) / amzn.to/2osjpvY (UK) / amzn.to/2Hz8WYa (CA)
And of course Audible's Free Trial program: amzn.to/2D9maL2
The above are Amazon affiliate links.
Hahah :)
Hate to break the 33 likes but here is 34!
your dreams have been answered (please try to seek therapy,... I saw that as a cry for help) th-cam.com/video/b5OX3vy6qSw/w-d-xo.html
Most of Dostoevsky's fiction is also free at sources like Project Gutenberg.
Which 5 books is he recommending this video?
Nietzsche quote: *“Dostoevsky, the only psychologist from whom I've anything to learn.”*
Where are you from ?
Damn right
Psychology is the main value of Dostoyevsky's work.
In the context of psychology where doctors used leeches to cure everything, even before psychologists started using lobotomy to 'cure' women of their 'womanly hysteria', his statement could've made sense. Those were pretty dark days of psychology, with no real data or research.
Nietzsche went insane and died of syphilis with no one but his imaginary friend Zarathustra and sister to comfort him.
1. Walk or ride a bike to your local bookstore.
2. Get a book by Dostoevsky.
3. Grab a coffee or tea, read it there or at some other coffee shop.
4. Meet girl at coffee shop, discuss Dostoevsky.
5. There, you just solved most of you problems. You've lost calories, done cardio, released endorphins, enriched your soul, added caffeine and met a girl.
U gonna take that girl home on the back of your bike, playboy? Might wanna drive.
jumanjiwarlord plot twist. She’s a biker too
Well said. I really appreciate it.
That's fucking atrocious advice.
A girl? lol, you would meet a 90 year old woman. Girls these days discuss 50 shades of grey.
“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
@@thetej2227 Spider-Man is better, I read the book and he is real !
@@stigletclaudiu8487 your comment and humor are rather rudimentary, lad. Take a look at JP's exodus series. No such depth of meaning in any comic.
@@creed22solar123 Wasn´t meant to be funny.
@@creed22solar123reveal your identity!!!
ok, but then why does listening to jordan peterson talk make me wish humanity never existed. dudes a cuckservative par excellence.
In Russian literature, the surname of the characters plays an important role. That is, the surname reveals a trait of a person's character. Raskolnikov translated from Russian means “split”, and if you change two letters in the middle of this word, you get the word “repent”. When pronounced, they are very consonant and very close in meaning to this work.
Thanks for the info. 👍
Excuse me, what two letters need to be changed in his surname to get “repent”? Как в "Раскольникове" умудрились углядеть ещё и "раскаяние"? Извините, но тут уже за уши притянули по-моему :) Раскол- это да.
I’ve heard the relationship with split/schism, but what’s the word for repent you’re referencing? that’s fascinating.
@@lilyonkwast there was no repent in Raskolnikov till the katorga started. Откуда там раскаяние-то? соглашусь с Вами
I am lucky enough to have Russian as a first language, so I am able to read Dostoyevsky in original.
I have the same stance with having German as my first language and being able to read Nietzsche and Goethe and Jung and many more in the original way
I am curious have you've tried reading one of Dostoevsky's books in english? How does it compare?
i'm learning russian with this purpose, to read Dostoyevsky in the original language
@@lucarloro2 hows it going?
Is it different from English? If yes, how?
I have read Dostoyevsky in high school and then again when I was in my 30s it just blew my mind. I think you need to grow a little, to experience life before you can trully understand Dostoevsky.
the idiot is more profound than crime and punishment...
same thing happened to me. Although I am only 25 at the moment, Crime and Punishment feels a lot deeper than when I read it in high school.
not just Dostoevsky, but literature or any other field of knowledge and/or science in general.
the education system has this funny misconception that you can just stuff as much info as possible into kids at a young age and that somehow it will be beneficial to them immediately. It won't. there's a place and time for everything and it does not all occur at once.
oleksijm, that is a valid point. But I'd add that literature can teach young readers to think, analyze, and empathize.
@@victortereshchenko4976 The analysing and empathising is more relevant to young adults and older teenagers really. Kids struggle with those massively.
Russian is my first language, but I must admit I wasn’t much impressed by “Crime and Punishment” when I read it first while in school. The second time when I returned to this novel was when I read it in Chinese. What’s funny is that I got a lot more interest toward this book while reading it in Chinese. Then I decided to get a copy of it in English and read it in English, which really rekindled my interest toward the book and Dostoyevsky in general. Then I finally went back to read it again in Russian and comprehended it on a totally different level. I guess my story shows that how a book is understood depends very much on your maturity. But it also shows that what matters is not what the first language of the book is, but the ideas and thoughts conveyed in it, which can be done in any language. That’s why Dostoyevsky is the world’s writer, not just Russian writer.
@Dave Bach In fact, it may be even a kind of blessing if for you it's just a story. What Dostoyevsky is dealing with in this book is how a human mind can easily fool itself into justifying a murder, commit it, and then experience totally unexpected consequences, among which is the struggle with the growing realization that no murder of any human being can be justified. I met quite a few former convicts who read this book while in prison. They all said that they easily identified with what the main character went through after he committed the crime. While, perhaps, it is good to be aware of that, it is still better not to get into that kind of experience in the first place.
@Dave Bach how old are you?
@橙 It's a hard question because the level is not specified. If you mean just a general communication, than it was about one year and a half. If you mean the level of basic reading comprehension, then it was about three years. And if you mean in-depth understanding of the language and the ability to express yourself in it perfectly well on any topic, then I am still learning it.
@橙 Sure. There are a lot of resources on the internet.
Finally Peterson is in a sweater. He seems at least a little bit happy now rather than his constant depression swag. In this he's on some Mr Rogers swag.
When I was a hopeless nihilist back in my early 20's, Nietzsche and Dostoevsky were the only human beings that made a lick of sense to me. They spoke my language, and everyone else seemed to be blinded to what I was going through. Without those two towering geniuses I don't believe I'd be alive today.
But if one probes the depths and conclusions of atheism the way friederich did you would lose your mind like he did.
@@GrantJolanta Syphilis was what drove him mad, not philosophy. Although philosophy can be maddening.
@@joshperry6700 so his exploration of atheism had 0% to do with it?
@@joshperry6700 how did itchy skin caused by coitus drive him mad ?
@@joshperry6700 the syphilis theory has been disproven. There were medical tests done on him soon before his death that completely disprove that he had syphilis + he was sick from the age of 9. Modern consensus is that he had his collapse and death either due to a brain tumour behind his eye or due to a congenital illness of the brain that his father and brother may have also suffered from.
for those thinking that he has just told the whole story, he hasn't. The murder is very early on in the book. Most of the book is about what happens after
Its about halfway through that the muder takes place. On the back of my copy it even says Fyodor is murdered so i expected it to happen in the first few chapters, i was surprised when it took nearly 500 pages to happen !
@@St3v3z you're taalking abt the brothers karamazov right? cause same!! it happened so much later than i expected
@@St3v3z Not Crime and Punishment you are talking here. Double check please. no Fyodor in the Crime.
@@emmanikitina8859 Ah yeah, I must have mixed up Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment in my head when typing that comment.
Roskolnokov thought is would be easy cheasy, but he did not account for the fact, that murder will kill his soul.
I read Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Adolescent, Memoirs from the House of the Dead, and Notes from Underground, as well as his short stories, in my early twenties. Think I'll reread Crime and Punishment. Hell of a book. It's essentially a psychological and philosophical thriller. It will change you.
I find it strange how everyone seems to skip over Demons (also translated as The Possessed or The Devils). I find it the greatest of his novels that I've read so far (haven't read The Brothers Karamazov), with certainly some of the deepest, darkest and most relevant ideas
It might have been the translation that I read--and I don't remember which it was--but I will give it another try. Thanks!
It has the usual idea of Dostoyevsky in the Nihilism vs. Slavophilia/necessity for a higher power, but also presents a much more political idea, in how ideas and ideologies can possess a person and/or society and drive them to the brink of destruction, no matter how good a person they normally are, like demons possessing the swine in the Gospel of Luke - "The convictions and the man are two very different things" - an idea I found manifest in today's politics on both sides of the spectrum. Also, it's without a doubt his bloodiest and most disturbing novel, and at the same time his funniest. Also, make sure you read an edition with the censored chapter "At Tikhon's" as an Appendix. It is essential to understanding the central character Stavrogin and I recommend reading it in it's intended place, just before the end of Part II.
I am working on it now. Though I have to admit it’s one of the few of Dostoevskys works that didn’t suck me in right away
hunky dory That is it's main flaw I have to say...it's extremely slow in the beginning; the two main characters aren't properly introduced until the end of the first third of the book!
What I love the most about Crime and Punishment is the way Dostoyevsky describes Raskolnikov's mindset about life and everything. The best book I've ever read
what is the way?
Wait till you read brothers Karamazov
Henry Rollins :"you just say you loved Dostojevski so you can pronounce Raskolnikov"
@@freudefreudhe/she/it only read the summary
@@freudefreudfor one, Raskolnikov is an alienated, isolated person. He thinks he doesn’t fit in in the world, but in a superior way. His main philosophy is that there are ordinary people and then extraordinary people, and that the latter have the courage and permission to commit crime to advance. He uses Napoleon as an example and draws a comparison to his killings and how he’s lauded as a genius now, despite the killing. And at one point, Napoleon must’ve made the decision to act before he was the Great Napoleon and just a normal person like everyone else. So he uses this ideology to convince himself that killing the pawn broker is essentially his right and that he’s rising above by doing so. And when he does, he’ll be able to finish law school and help others. He also has this attitude of liking humanity, but hating individuals. Essentially, he wants to do good in the world for everyone’s benefit, but can’t stand being next to people, even so far as hating his own family at times. It’s much more in depth that this, so you’ll just have to read it 🙂
First time I read the Crime and Punishment in scool. I was impressed a lot. After a few years I had completed all Dostoevsky's novels, and then once again. The Idiot and Karamazov brothers I read three or four times. It was a life changing experience. I intentoinally moved to St Petersburg to be close to Dostoevsky. 6 years ago I bought apartments in the house, where the writer lived until his death, and where the museum of Dostoevsky is located. That was my celebration at being so close to this sacred place :) I'm now like a relative of him.
Or an obsessed person.
stalker
That's great! You are like No1 fan
Which book of his should I read first?
@@yeyevasquez5462 Start with the shorter novel Notes from Underground then Crime and Punishment.
3:16 Svidrigailov listening through the door ...
hahaha the master eavesdropper
You win today’s best comment contest
I just finished the book today. I can appreciate this comment :D
@@AmoorAlzhrany Who made you the judge? 😂
@@MG-hi9sh I did :)
As a Russian I appreciate this man's passion for out literature
That's some statement. So you've read a lot of Russian novels? And which philosophical books do you recommend? If smart people like Jordan Peterson and Norm MacDonald like Russian literature then it can't be that pseudo, whereas you didn't even bother writing a proper sentence, not even a period. Where's the self respect?
Jože Ws Let me guess? You support Kseniya Sobchak and Alexey Navalny??
@Jože Ws пустоту между ушей принято скрывать сарказмом и демонстративной оппозицией. Вам читать бесполезно, смотрите ютубик.
"our literature"
As if his work belongs to Russians collectively. What a spectacularly ironic statement.
bbcmotd your music is even better!!!
I've read Crime and Punishment in my teens, now I am in my fourties (audio)reading the Brothers Karamazov. The conversation between Alyosha and Ivan on human cruelty and the existence of God is such a masterpiece that it's haunting me .
Thanks for writing that, I began reading the Brothers K several years ago and admit I found very little in it to engage me - compared say to Crime & Punishment. I might make another attempt, given JBP's opinion of it and what you say here.
I was so impressed by that discussion and the willingness of Ivan to fully explain his position to his brother.
It’s how my husband conquered my heart: he preferred Dostoevsky to Tolstoy. ❤️
Then You shouldn't read "Kreutzer Sonata" (-Tolstoy ) together. It was banned at first.
It knocked my head out for 8-9 hours.The finishing of it is a masterpiece pushing reader to an unbearable thrill if reading speed is not good.but the disrecommendation reason isn't that at all.
Both are good
Georges Steiner said that depending on whether you choose Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy, you will find the secret to their soul.
My favorite is still tolstoy anna karenina. Then 2nd top dosteyevski- the idiot
I like Tolstoy
Why did u add glasses to the thumbnail lol
Deal with it :)
Because he’s in love with mr Peterson KappaPride
Because he’s cool, duh! Whattya need a screw driver with sparkles to figure out east Asia?
@@Josh-rn1em nice man
cause he in na insufarablle middle aged White man trying to be hip and keep up with the memes
Reading a Russian author like Dostoevsky is like eating an elephant. It's better if you take your time.
That's a weird statement but it got the point across so thats fun.
I've been reading For Whom the Bell Tolls for four months. Is this a record ?
it's not that long/deep....have you been reading it in Chinese?
JumpDiffusion The 9 to 5 takes it out of me .. I get through 20 pages at the weekend. 100 pages to go.
Christopher Weaver Common statement
I read crime and punishment in my late 50’s having known nothing of Dostoyevsky. It didn’t take long for me to realize this is the greatest novelist I’ve ever read. An absolute master craftsman. Totally blows away Hemingway, Kerouac, Steinbeck, et all. I would not have understood the depth of this book as a young man.
How old are you now, just asking out of curiosity?
@@quantumfizzics9265 58 1/2
@@Pepsiguy Nice 💪. Almost as old as Dostoevsky when he sadly passed.
@@quantumfizzics9265 Life expectancy wasn’t the same back then, I’m still riding my skateboard around the neighborhood.
@@Pepsiguy Ohh that's great. I like that energy. Liveliest 58 1/2 man around the neighborhood.
Makes me proud to be Russian. Now I got to read some Dostoevsky
кринж
It must make you sad rather, Russia has gone, culturally and intellectually, from the top 3 in the the world to probably the bottom by now.
@@larbibenlarbi6235 but that does not mean russians must throw in the towel and accept their situation
How are you getting on?
@@larbibenlarbi6235 because they havent sold their souls for economic gain like the more succesful countries of today. Makes it even more meaningful when you read amazingly intelligent writers like Dostoyevski and the principled characters he created.
Reading “The Brothers Karamazov” changed my life at sixteen years of age. It was the first book that as I finished the last page, I immediately turned to the first chapter and started reading again ❤️
How did it change your life?
I'd also like to know
I would say that by changing a life, you discover similarities between characters and the reader. By simphatizing with the 3 brothers you learn about yourself as well. It is definitelly an book worth reading
Shaboopy To keep it relatively brief, the book tells of the same events from three perspectives, and each is so engrossing, so real, and so profoundly moving that by the end I really had my mind blown open. This was also a time in my life (mid to late 90’s) where I was exploring world religions, spirituality, hallucinogenic drugs, and sexuality too. This book has some of the best depictions of the human experience of any I’ve read. Plus the writing is brilliant, and the author really holds nothing back, he is so honest and let’s the world and his characters speak for themselves, and let’s the reader ponder the unfathomable mysteries of the human condition and the human heart.
And, while this is by far his best book IMO, all of them are stellar!
Shaboopy I can’t speak for others but in my case Dostoevsky changed my life by making me distinguish between reality and stupid intellectual pontification that I was so liable to as a young man. I rate Crime & Punishment first, then Notes from Underground then Brothers Karamazov, but you can get the same lesson from all. Reading the book drills the idea better in your head than having someone else tell you in abstract which is basically the power of literature.
My mother a lovely black woman from a middle-class family had us reading Dostoyevsky and discuss his books during meals when my father was in Vietnam. I remember this very discussion with my mother. Russian literature was her thing.
WOW!
wow, black reading Dostoyevski, amazing! unicorn
Dostoyevsky has been banned in an important university in Milan (Bicocca). We are living in a dark time: so much informations and so much ignorance. We are living a second round of middle ages.
Alessio
Glad to have found you. So, I was not the only person who thinks "so much information and so much ignorance".
@@amandaa3713 There are lots of people who think such, thing is they are the most quiet.
@@Killertiller01
I see
Fuck off,you evil,communist twat
The russians don t deserve any sympathy
They did not nothing to deserve dostoevsky
And the russia dostoevsky lived in the same as the russia today or in the last 104 years
Hopefully they won't start burning books. That's what comes out of supporting nazis of Ukraine
The Idiot got me crying at the end like no other book, I am crying as I write this, that's how strong the book is. To whoever enjoys Dostoyevsky I would recommend Andrei Tarkovsky's movies, specially Stalker. Russian art is really great, I think of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Tarkovsky, Stravinsky, they all left such a big mark without renouncing sophistication, deepness and meaning.
Yes, when he kisses the ground. I felt like such a sap!😄🤣
Demons is such an underrated masterpiece.
Gave me chills, how he managed to dive so deep into a character
I've just started Demons. Reading through first chapters, It's taking me a bit more energy than I'd like to get hooked to the novel but already I can tell there's something to it.
Alex Serrano Awesome. Trust me, all your hard work (i.e. focus) will be dearly rewarded.
Reading it the first time, I thought it was not as bad as it's reputation. Rereading it I thought it was a disaster. It's his worst novel. Still, it's worth reading. Definately more interesting than so many other novels.
@Chris U. I would definately award "Brothers" the gold medal. But with Crime and Punishment, he might have succeeded the best making it maybe the most apprehensible. That one I percieve as the most straight forward, if I may put it that way. I very much liked the Adolescent. Only read it once though. Reckon I will read that one again soon!
@Chris U. You will not be dissapointed reading The Idiot!
I found Dostoyevsky to be a very modern read - the novels don’t read like they were written over 100 years ago. You read books by other authors from the same period - even pre 1960s - and the writing style is dated, the characters seem dated, and the story does not resonate because it seems less relevant to today. Not Dostoyevsky: his stories haven’t lost anything.
I find older authors to be more relevant than most modern ones, they're more mature too. Children's books from the 1800's would be classed as adult literature these days and I don't find much of it to be dated by any means, at least no more than reading a historical modern novel. Many of the great authors are timeless and so are many of the more obscure ones, I find written works from the past to be of a far higher standard than what passes as great today.
If you think literature from the 50s sounds dated, you have been filtered and your education has failed you.
@@HoraceRocketMan
I don't mean to sound arrogant or above anyone one else, I don't think anything like that. I often find modern literature and especially modern media to be patronising in the extreme and it's genuinely offensive sometimes at how dense they must think the reader/viewer is.
It helps that there are some great modern translations. Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky are the go-to translators for Russian novels. But Russian novels are far more accessible in general than people give them credit for. I've asked friends if they've read any Russian authors and they look at me like I'm mad. I don't know if there's a stereotype that comes from a sort of anti-Russian sentiment in the West or what.
I think it's because Dostoevsky writes a lot about what goes on between the ears, moreso than what passes before the eyes. The former does not suffer as much changeover through the years as the latter.
Crime and Punishment is a compulsory lecture for highschool students in Poland, and one of the most popular exam topcis as well. Quite a shame we were forced to read this at the age which couldnt comprehend all of the book values.
Great point. The beauty and meaning are completely different at an older age.
Мне 65, я люблю Достоевского и знаком с его произведениями давно, но я потрясен комментариями, и фанатами Достоевского, и глубокими умозаключениями по его произведениям. Очень приятно было ознакомиться. И это после 30 лет интернета, смартфонов, соцсетей и прочих информационных перегрузок. Похоже люди научились соблюдать информационную гигиену и организовывать поиск ценных знаний, некоторые из которых в классической литературе.
A good short story by Dostoevsky is The Dream of a Ridiculous Man. If you're undergoing any nihilistic thoughts I would highly recommend it.
Thanks for the tip !!!!
I prefer "The Gambler"
+Grimes Golden oh, yeah. James Caan did great in that one. Lol, I know what you're talking about.
.___. no it's a short story by Dostoevsky as well.
Id also recommend watching a video about it here on youtube. its an amazing work of art.
Dostoyevsky is my favourite writer. I'm still amazed by "Idiot"
👍
was jealous who killed the woman? I mean the other that was with her a part from the prince (Roghozin)
Sara Tokic I'm struggling with the Idiot. 400 pages in I still don't know what I'm reading? Help
@@filiusreticulum2926 That's Dostoyevsky for you, the idiot is a journey, more than an actual story. Once you finish it, you'll realize the ending had no plot connection with the beginning, it's mostly the experience you get inbetween and the philosophical/moral questions you ask yourself.
q0oq19 TBH there isn't much philosophy in the idiot. A bit about death penalty and of course social commentary about the rich Russian bourgeois who value money over love. Myshkin is the only one there willing to love for the sake of love. Tbh you don't need 550 pages to write that story.
Being able to read Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Nitsche, Rumi, and Nizami Ganjavi in original is a true blessing for me.
I am absolutely so lucky to be able to know Russian as my first language. I'm fourteen and have started to read "Idiot" and "Crime and Punishent", and Dostoyevsky's ability to thread such vital themes throughout such beautiful writing just blows my mind.
"He's not thinking all that clearly" is a grave understatement for Roskolnokov lol
Haha yeah Criminally understated ..
He never thought clearly
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It’s hard to think clearly when you have COVID. It made him quite delirious you remember. 😷
I just read crime and punishment for the first time through. I could probably read it 100 more times and still find new things. Every character is unique and embodies a unique psychology per se and they have very lengthy philosophical discussions amongst each other.
*SPOILERS* My favourite most intense part was when Porfiry has his interrogaton with Rodion, talking about a moth to a flame. Ugh just genius
It's breathtakingly brilliant. Not a single dull moment. Every character is vividly and realistically drawn. The reader cannot help but care deeply about the main character, Raskolnikov, who just happens to be an axe murderer. Hey, nobody's perfect, right? And Sonia, the prostitute with the heart of gold who loves him and in a sense redeems him! She is so genuine, so life like despite her almost impossible saintliness. And the nouveau rich lawyer, the "successful man", is a hypocrite and a scoundrel! I think that Dostoevsky had as Keen a sense of the cruelty and injustice of his society as any writer who ever lived despite his own reactionary political views. In fact, I have to admit that I do not entirely disagree with Raskolnikov's motives for killing and robbing the horrible old pawn broker in order to use the stolen money to help his sister and his mother out of desperate poverty. Why should such a miserable "louse" hoard a fortune gotten by usury while a girl like Sonia is forced into prostitution in order to feed her little brothers and sisters? Substitute the crooked greedy bankers at Goldman Sachs for the old pawnbroker and I would be happy to grab my axe and go down to Wall Street right now and start smashing heads!
I have read it as I was 12 or 13 year old in one week. The other day (I am 31 now) I wanted to listen an audio book and decided for "Crime and punishment" after 20 minutes I stopped and said "Wtf? Why do they give such books for kid to read? What would kid understand from this novel?" and there were so many deep details for pondering that I missed as a schoolboy. My reading at this novel at 12 yrs old was as if I at that time saw a trailer for "Crime and punishment" and now I am going to actually reading it. I stopped the audio book and decided to buy the book, I have it in my old place where I lived (1500 km away) but I bought it again for that reason to "see" the letters and to ponder over them, because, honestly, if you read some novel from Dostoevsky for the first time, audio book is not the right choice - a person could miss a lot.
@tramsfetz The first time I read Marmeladov's monologue about his Sonya and Christ's return, I seriously teared up. That's one of the most powerful passages of literature I've ever read. That Dostoevsky could convey so much sorrow, conviction, and depravity through one passage of fiction is nothing short of a gift from God.
Dostoevsky was a genuine psychologist. Some of the forefathers of psychology like Freud and Addler greatly admired his works, and the psychology of his work is still relevant and admired today. There have been papers on law written about how accurate Raskolnikov's psychological description is and how impressive and modern Porfiry Petrovich's detective tactics are. Dostoevsky was also quite prophetic with novels like Crime and Punishment: want proof, look up a guy named Dmitry Karakazov
I'm 72 Y.O. now and how I wish I'd had such a teacher as M. Peterson. Thank you for this.
I’ve grown tired of reading. For years I consumed books for the wrong reasons. To gain business knowledge, to tell myself I was smarter or better somehow because I read a lot. I wore myself out, and realized I wasn’t enjoying it.
He has convinced me to come back-I am in love with this man’s lectures. Based on his descriptions, I suspect I may fall in love with Dostoyévskiy.
Start with Crime and Punishment, then Demons. If you're still interested, maybe try The idiot. Karamazov is my favorite book, but it's a little rough to start out with. The two first are a little lighter and simpler, just because one has few characters in it and the other is really a burlesque sociopolitical satire. It is actually possible to laugh while reading Demons. Idiot and Karamazov are more allegorical and less easily digestible. Also a rather large gallery of characters, which is sometimes a problem with Russian novels. Hard to keep all the names straight in your head. Take notes would be my advice, if you ever get to Karamazov.
If That's too much of a core you could try audio books, that could be worth a try
You don't read to gain knowledge but to understand.
Update: My passion for reading is back - not motivated by ego, but by curiosity and entertainment. I did read Crime and Punishment and was floored - it reminded me so much of my own life. An amazing allegory for guilt, morality, and the prison of our own minds.
@@tb7125 good to hear that man, keep going with the passion
As a philosophy student, Dostoyevsky impressme even more than a lot of academic and "real" philosophers.
Many scientists are in awe of him. From the little I have read, particularly 'The Double', he was an outstanding analyst of the human character.
I have read it three times now and each reading gets better and I am looking forward to the next time. 'Brothers Karamazov' next for round two can't wait. Thank God for giving us these books, life would be nowhere near as comforting or compelling without them. They are the single greatest retreat in the world for me. More people should read them.
Thank Dostoevsky, not god.
I’m a 17 year old American girl and I am already IN LOVE with Dostoevsky’s work. He has a brilliantly absurd way of portraying philosophies into people and he captures pain and suffering very well. Currently I am half way through The Brothers Karamazov, and I am also reading Crime and Punishment. It’s fascinating to see certain parallels to each of his worlds. I am brand new to Russian literature, but from what I’ve read, I love the style of presenting ideas and the human condition through stories.
Oh, may God bless you, sweetheart! Being in love with Dostoevsky will certainly provide you with a solid moral foundation and value orientation in your life.
I live in Russia, but have had America close to my heart for decades. The mental and moral state of your contemporaries is real scary to say the least. Indoctrination of youth by a shere insanity seems rampant and inescapable in your country. So feed yourself with healthy food and walk in the light!
@@vladdzedik7308 Thank you! Please pray for my country. We may say that we are free, but we are bound by the chains of sin. Those who seek truth are oppressed, and those who are confused are encouraged to indulge in their delusions.
I appreciate your support 💜✝️
which books are you reading?
As an English speaker a recommendation I have for you is to read Moby Dick by Herman Melville. To the layman/Laywoman it's a rather dry book about Whaling Industry. But wrapped within that and throughout it studies DEEP aspects of human nature. And no it's not just about monomaniacal revenge against a Whale either. It's about God, about Man. It's about our souls. Amazing work.
I just turned 16 and found dostoyevsky's works. One of the best things that I've discovered.
Dostoyevsky is truly unparalleled.
❤️
He's good. 'War and Peace' has everything
@@jamesanthony5681 a book doesn't need to have everything, and having everything doesn't make a book better. Harry Potter and LOTR movies have everything, but this doesn't make them automatically better than Hitchcock.
@@NJ-wb1cz
Be mindful what I said. I didn't say 'War and Peace' was better.
I haven't seen all Harry Potter and LTOR movies so I cannot compare them to Hitchcock, although movies are an entirely different proposition. I would say, however, that John Ford is a better director than Alfred Hitchcock, and Ford's movies are better than Hitchcock's. That is a personal opinion.
@@jamesanthony5681 do John Fords movies have everything?
I'm so thankful to a girl who laughed at me because I didn't know who Dostoevsky was! 😅
Where is she now? But you still have Dostoevsky.
Who fucking cares , laughing at someone for that reason alone it just plain stupid ,Dostoevsky isn't a name that is recognized that well especially in the ghettos like where I'm from
@@hardanalljr.3138 Bet ya'll know cardi B though...
She laughed at you? Well, she can get lost. Not knowing something does not make you stupid.
You could simply ask her, if you met her again-you’ve read it but do you understand it? You will either have an amazing conversation or or an amazing monologue. Either way, can’t lose.
Dostoyevsky literally blew my mind when I first read him 25 years ago. Still the number one. A towering genius
Just finished reading Crime and Punishment. High school has disappointed me in its lack of actual good books so I have taken it upon myself to read the classics. And boy does the book not let down. If you love phycological and tense stories, you'd love this. The book also does an amazing job of putting you into the protagonists shoes while not feeling like the protagonist himself. You're more so an observer as this mans mental state slowly declines into madness. The style is very reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's, which makes sense since he was a big inspiration for Dostoevsky. This has quickly become one of my favorite books f all time, highly recommend.
My all time favourite - Crime and Punishment. I am now in the middle of Brothers Karamazov and I find it difficult to grasp how can an author, who is a single individual like any of us, be so meticulous when building the characters. It is not just the description of their appearance and character, but their line of thought and the complexity of their behaviour. And this goes not only for the central character, but everyone involved in the plot. It takes time to read such books properly and reflect and understand.
So very true, but it’s strange to think that Alyosha is the least complex of them all, yet is the best and most honourable man among them. That’s an idea Ive pondered over since I finished the book last week.
I'm currently learning Russian so I can reread all my favourite Dostoyevsky novels in Russian :)
Срећно са тиме. Дефинитивно је боље читати на језику на коме је дело написано. Докопао сам се сабраних дела Оксара Вајлда на енглеском језику, вредно је труда :)
удачи!
+Science not religion, i think she said that as an advantage, not a motive or reason
И чо? Как оно? Продвигается?
Does it help?? I have been trying to get through Crime and Punishment and it's super boring.
As a huge fan of Russian literature, and someone currently learning Russian, and somebody who enjoys Dr. Peterson's take on reading and writing-- this is a gold mine! Thanks!
I just loved "The Idiot"! I was mesmerized with "Crime and Punishment", and "Demons", as well, but "The Idiot" is my favorite book of all time, as I liked the main character, who is so unique, admirable, noble, and so completely out of this world. Dostoyevsky's psychological and sociological analysis surpasses anything that anyone has ever written for all the reasons (making his antagonists 3 dimensional, and their reasons for action so strong as the most important ones) that Prof. Peterson explained so well. And as it is for the professor, Dostoyevsky is my favorite author, too.
I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov right now. Jesus this book has passion.
Greatest book ever written, imo.
@@paulboegel8009 That and Demons are my favorite. Like this really worth discussing.
@@paulboegel8009 If you say it is the Greatest book ever written, just roughly how many books have you read and how many of those are considered the best books to read?
Your statement would have held so much more intelligence and clarity without the silly, offensive, redundant "Jesus." Please understand this.
@@lovebaja I don't think i can understand this without clarification of your statement.
I've only read the Idiot, and whenever Jordan mentions how agreeable people always end up with the shorter straw, I always think about Prince Myshkin and how his agreeableness brought him only misery while others profited from it both financially and emotionally. He was aware of it, though, and still let it continue because that's the sort of man he is, always willing to help others and to willingly throw himself in the gutter for it. He knew other peoples' schemes and yet he persisted. It all goes to show that you don't need to be stupid to be an idiot; you just have to be kind.
That's deep
Idiot is the best Dostoyevsky‘s book imo
That's me, I'm Prince Myshkin. I'm aware of people's "schemes" but don't say anything and so they carry on believing they're clever. But I'm kind to them anyway. Been working on becoming more of an "jerk" or being less agreeable. And by that I mean developing firm boundaries and not feeling guilty about it. I realized that somewhere along the way that I developed a belief of "even if my gut instinct says to stay away from this person, let me give them a chance because everyone deserves one" and "having boundaries and being assertive is mean and people will think I'm unkind or a bad person" and "We should always be kind to people no matter who they are because sometimes people are just ignorant, need kindness or made a mistake". I know it sounds hilariously twisted but that's essentially what I believed on a subconscious/indirect level. And despite seeing plain as day the intentions of others (good and bad) I persisted in being their friend and helping them out. Never again, don't be Prince Myshkin. People that are rotten enough will weaponize this as a weakness against you. Don't believe that it makes you a bad person if you say no, don't want to be someone's friend or distance yourself from someone who is unhealthy. It's your well being and your life. Protect it like it actually holds meaning!
highly disagree. kindness doesn’t equate to weakness. it’s only weak if you are aware of that people are taking advantage of you and you continue to let it happen
Nathalie H. Touché, you are correct indeed. So I guess I need to work on not being kind when I’m aware that it’s someone taking advantage.
I've only gotten a little more than halfway through Crime and Punishment, and it has to be one of my favorite pieces of literature i have come across. The way Dostoyevsky describes in great detail everything from Raskolnikov's mindset, to the bizarre nightmare-ish dream he had, all the way to the murder and afterwards painted a very clear picture that i can still remember rather well, even though it has been months since i last picked up the book.
Dear Prof Peterson, thank you very much for your genuine love of Dostoevsky who is undoubtedly one of the best Russian novelist. As a Russian, I am proud that in the 19 century my country produced so many wonderful writers.
If people would read Dostoevsky and think of what he tried to say, the world would become less hypocritical and narrow-minded. All the problems that we have in the 21st centruy have already been decsribed in "Demons". The answers are there too.
Before reading his books I highly recommend to read his short biography. This will help to understand his books much deeper.
thanks Ivan
I have IDIOT and C&P...what’s the name of the book you’re referring to please?? I think I will start there rather.
@@Tlhakxza Actually most of his books are part of his life. In every book he mention episode from his biography.
And he is referring to article from wikipedia about Dostoevsky's life(biography).
The fact that he witnessed an older man raped an 8 year old girl that inspired him to write those books? And he suffered from his fathers death that he blamed on a serf? Then he went to prison for reading an article that went against Russia? This is a crazy life story.
@@MiketheCoder his fake execution is what seriously traumatized him and made him change his entire world view. He was a smart man, but a very broken man. And his works are fascinating in a way what a man broken by others may create from his own perspective, what he sees as good and bad, what he values.
I bought this book at the airport, just before my 13 hour overseas flight. Started reading it when I got on the plane, couldn’t put it down. An amazing book.
Just make sure you buy the Penguin Classic edition. It has all the notations to help you understand the book better
Thanks for the recommendation.
I am from Ukraine and my native language is Russian. Fyodor Mikhailovich is my favorite writer, and in fact, besides the gorgeous "Crime and Punishment", there is something else that is worth the attention of every person. First of all, it is "Humiliated and Insulted". I don't want to spoil what it is about, but the ending brought me to tears. And the second piece: "Idiot". One of the best things I've read. It was it that opened the door for me to this wonderful world. And in general, what is not a book, then a masterpiece, because he is a real master of his craft in terms of creating living characters. All of his "great five books" are worth your attention. "Uncle's Dream", "Notes from the Underground", "Double", "Netochka Nezvanova", "Dream of a Ridiculous Man" - all this should be read. Dostoevsky is a master of the pen, and still remains relevant and demanding.
I read Crime and Punishment about 10 years ago. One of the best books I've ever read for certain. Spellbinding reading. Need to get through his other works now, thanks to JP for the reminder
I've never cried from reading a book, except when reading The Brothers Karamazov.
Same here, although the end of Crime and Punishment affected me more. But there are a few other books that made me cry:
1. Golding: "Lord of the Flies"
2. Graves, "I, Claudius"
3. Hemingway, "The Old Man and the Sea"
@@kamiltrzebiatowski9331 Try to read "Humillated and Insulted" from Dostoevsky. Same energy
@@khvorilan2248 Will do. 900 pages of Anna Karenina first, though. 😊
@@kamiltrzebiatowski9331 Heh. Mage of the water)))
@@kamiltrzebiatowski9331 have you ever read",Niels Lyhne by Jens Peter Jacobsen or"Hunger"by Knut Hamsun? Both are amazing books.
Here I’m quoting this great passage from this lecture by Jordan:
“One of the things that is lovely about Dostoevsky, is that sometimes when one person is arguing against another person, they make their opponent into a straw man, which is basically they take their opponents and caricature their perspective and trying to make it as weak as possible and laugh about it, and then they come up with their argument and destroy this straw man and feel that they’ve obtained victory!!
But the truth it’s a very pathetic way of thinking actually it’s not thinking at all, what thinking is, when you adopt the opposite position from your supposition and you make that argument as strong as you can possibly make, and then you fit your perspective against that strong iron man, not the straw man.
And that what Dostevksky does in his novels, the people who stand for the antithesis of what Dostoevsky actually believes, are often the strongest, the smartest and sometimes the most admirable people in the book! And so, he takes great moral courage to do that..
With Raskolnikov he sat up a character who has every moral reason to commit a murder, every reasonable reason; philosophically, practically and ethically even and then trying to analyze them to the deepest points from their inside.”
I think you mean caricature
sdfgsdrgew that’s right 😅
I edited it, thanks
I just got done reading The Brothers Karamazov and it's easily the best book I've ever read. It took me almost a month to read, I had to read some chapters several times to get it, especially the Great Inquisitor chapter I read 4 times and still took me some thinking to wrap my brain around it, and I'm sure there's still a lot of depth that I totally missed, I will enjoy re-reading it at some point for sure.
Absolutely incredible, highly recommend
Reading Notes from the Underground in college was really a turning point for me. I realized that I related way too much to the main character and needed to radically change my life.
Jordan you are the best, I'm glad you're back we definitely need you with all these things going on and start putting some perspective and some order out there thank God you're well
This brief lecture made me want to re read Crime and punishment. I never thought about Raskolnikov in those terms
A.D. Hey the people that get high and play video games are probably the ones intensely listening
It’s the Netflix bingers you’re talking about
A.D. -Someone high and about to play videogames
Great assessment of Dostoevsky's deep understanding of human psychology. Which was much further advanced at least in my opinion of anything Sigmund Freud came up with. Of course that could be debated. I have read all five of those books, including having read The Brothers Karamazov twice. Now I need to go back and read the other ones again and then read The Brothers Karamazov for a third time. Which this last referenced book also in my opinion is the best novel ever written. A Russian friend of mine made the statement that any person, whether a Russian person or French or English person reading a translation should also read it at least 3 times. Reading Dostoevsky is a good way to exercise your brain as it takes a great deal of mental concentration to grasp all that are in his books. But it is well worth the effort. I can see why Peterson speaks so much about Crime and Punishment as I agree that is a most remarkable book. Almost the entire book is inside the head of Raskelnikov. Which is quite fascinating. Also fascinating is that pretty much Dostoevsky was in a way a prophet as a lot of what he warned his readers about unfortunately were played out in the Bolshevik revolution, which was one of the worst series of events in human history.
Crime and Punishment is awesome, perfectly describing the terror of suffocating obsessional guilt. Truly great.
Mr. Jordan Peterson, it is a great learning experience listening to your talks ... i only hope you feel better, carry on and are happy
I read crime and punishment in school and the ending had me in tears. Beautiful story.
I read Crime and Punishment as a teen. My English teacher asked me what it was about. I said, “ Raskolnikov kills a bad person then spends the rest of the novel feeling guilty about it.”
That's not what the book is about. Raskolnikov never regrets the murders and never feels guilty.
He never repents.
What drives him crazy is that he realizes that he is not one of the special people who have "the right to kill".
@@nikolaykrotov8673What special people would have "the right to kill"?
@@akirosakuragi9279 Its based on Sadaen nihilism - God is not real and there is no meaning to life, so everything and anything is justifiable. Thus one can transcend moral boundaries and conventions - like Napoleon who completely re created France and became a monarch despite the fact that he wasn't of birth. Raskolnikov wants to be a Napoleon, someone above the law. That is why he goes crazy because he realizes that he is not above the law. Dostoevskys books are refutations of Sadaen nihilism
@@alexanderpetruska9460 you quite accurately described my view of this book, however, it seems to me (I may be wrong) that what is good about other books by Dostoevsky is that they do not have a direct meaning. I believe that Dostoevsky did not want to say anything concrete, he simply created matter from which everyone molds his own image. he is a psychologist.
I just finished Demons last night. A big book at 800 pages and brilliantly written but not a great story nor as profound as his other novels. Certainly not on par with The Brothers Karamazov, which is a masterwork.
Tolstoy is also genius. These two are problably the best two writers of fiction of all time in my humble view. Nabokov was great too. Dickens was also brilliant. Thomas Hardy was also around the same time of Dostoyevsky and wrote many great novels and was an incredible poet too. He may be my favourite author due to the amount of successful novels he wrote. He understood the working and rural classes, which few writers of any time have.
Demons are super valuable as a warning against the crazy anti-human ideology of today’s globalists (pictured as “red” socialists/communists in the book)
I am living at a time in my life where I need Dostoyevsky, God's way of showing me life.
Just finished crime and punishment and it was one of the best books I’ve read. Didn’t want it to finish!
Amazing video! I love the perspective you introduced on this novel
My bro here in Kenya is a huge Dostoevsky fan. I must read his books.
Why didn't I have this guy as my professor 10 years ago when I went through college?
Well we have the internet now and we can see tons of his lectures and interviews.
Why wasn't this guy my father?
"...self-help gurus are just getting another set of self-help false promises.
If you want a better life, figure out how to earn more money in a legal, ethical way.
Quit wasting time looking for a magical or super-powerful system that will sweep you right into..."
I mean... that's exactly what JP says as well
Tom you need God....zilla in your life
Because he's not a liberal.
The trick is that Dostoevsky in his youth attended meetings of "Petroshevtsy" which was in a sense socialics-liberal movement in monarchy Russia, under persecution case he was at first sentenced to death but the execution was substituted with a "civil execution" (followed with a term of exile to Siberia) which was not death through hanging or shootting but a sort of humiliation when a rapier of a gentry was to be broken over one's head. All of this effected Dosoevsky so much that he became very conservative and even Christian thinker.
Thanks for sharing ,I forgot that
Dostoevsky turns a human nature inside out, such minds belong to the mankind. At each period of life you read him with new understanding. I first read him at 18 (Crime and punishment, Karamazov brothers) and now I'm 44 and reread Dostoevsky with much more understanding
I just finished Bros. Karamazov and am working on The Idiot - great stuff - Crime and Punishment is fantastic
I love the word meta real. Some people take literature as facts, but it's a lot more than facts and not restricted by facts, good books take you directly the reality, the absolute real.
Reality isn't absolute, which therefore makes that entire statement a falacy.
The Short Novella "The Double" by Dostoyevsky is well worth a read. Amazing story - Dostoyevsky is a genius. I love the "Idiot", the issues this raises of the comedy of how a good man becomes destructive in a world governed by lies and hypocrisy, but it is a bitter comedy.
Please explain this to one of Milan universities, that've prohibited lectures about Fydor
because of the events in Ukraine?
Crime and Punishment is my absolute favorite book and this video has inspired me to read Dostoevsky's other novels. Thank you!
It’s so interesting how as time passes and you rewatch these lectures you understand more and more than you did the last time. Our minds are slowly piecing together what the hell it is we are doing and have been doing here in this universe
Brilliant lecturer.
I love his teachings.
Any 20 yr old...READ CRIME AND PUNISHMENT...
Brilliant book. The language...the story telling is just gorgeous...
One of my favorites writers of all time. Crime and punishment, The brothers Karamazov,and so many other Masterpieces.
Should warn you - his narrative far from fun.
yes,they do not. Yet,somehow, it is not add depression too. They just clear some smoke and you can see better :)
@@mashabymasha7804 That's the point - that clarity frustrates way too often )
@J. Dallison Way too serious, and remains my favourite.
@@DanWill121 and I believe they do add despression. I get gloomy and depressed after reading him always
@@Kapiwolf123 Well, It's hard not to... But you have to understand who you deal with. You don't expect fun from Franz Kafka either.
Dostoyevsky takes difficult themes, taking psychological aspect to its finest.
Still, just enjoy his talent.
I read Crime and Punishment when I was 16, my first long novel completely finished and enjoyed. It sparked my love for reading from then. 2 years and over 25 classics later it's still my very favourite.
I'm about halfway through the book and this is an amazing and enlightening summary.
the clips from the personality series of lectures are really quite nostalgic for me. When I first started really watching Dr. Peterson and reading his books around 3 years ago I was struggling greatly with finding a purpose and any sort of meaning in life. I suppose in some ways I was nihilistic like Raskolnikov. However, the journey which began when I first encountered the power of Peterson's words has changed my life entirely, I actually have future prospects because of this man. I will never be able to repay the spiritual debt I owe to Peterson, I am only grateful I encountered his work when I needed it the most. Do not pay heed to internet trolls who have no idea what Jordan can offer. Watch his lectures (in full), especially the personality series and it could change your life, as it did mine.
White Nights - a short story by Dostoevsky. Anyone who hasn’t read it yet, please read it, it’s so so so good
Crime and Punishment was one of my favorite books in high school! (I’m 23 now and highly recommend it!)
Always good to attend dr’s seminar
I'm reading Crime & Punishment right now and am loving it! Thank you JP!!
"He's like a composite person. He's like a person whose irrelevancies have been eliminated for the purpose of relating something about the structure of the world. I like to think of those things as "meta-real". More real than real." That's the power of classic literature.
I highly recommend you The Karamazov Brothers by Dostoyevsky. This book touches all the aspects of human existence and its meaning. One of the most valuable books of the world, some say even more valueable then the Holy Bible.
No book is more valuable than the bible.
I prefer ‘Idiot’ tho
Absolutely, I find it the most telling tale of the human condition.
Czarowniku Iwanow what are You doing in here?
@@zuzannawolak9726 actually it's Jakub Wedrowycz :P
Awesome way of classification... psychology & sociology... this man is a classic
I'm halfway through The Brothers Karamazov, which will beat out Roots as the longest book I've ever read when done. And it's not even in my own beloved language! Dostoyevsky's brilliance transcends that barrier.
That book rocks, loved it
Crime and Punishment is the only book that I've read that has given me nightmares. Dostoyevsky does an amazing job in describing misery, pain and despair. Best moments of the book, in my opinion, are the sermon that Marmeladov gives at a tavern and the dream Raskolnikov has about a horse that gets beaten to death. Chilling and beautiful.
I was recommended to read Crime and Punishment first when I started Dostoevsky. After reading his other works now, I would agree that it is an excellent starting point. Fantastic novel.
I loved listening to you & can’t wait to get the book. Watching from Australia.