11/28/2015

Dostoevsky Did Say It: A Response to David E. Cortesi

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HomeLibraryModernAndreiVolkovDostoevskyDidSayIt:AResponsetoDavidE.
Cortesi

DostoevskyDidSayIt:AResponsetoDavidE.Cortesi
(2011)
AndreiI.Volkov
IrecentlyreadanoldSecularWebarticlebyDavidE.Cortesititled"Dostoevsky
Didn'tSayIt"(2000).Thisessayisnowwidelycitedandreferencedacrossthe
Internet.WhenbelieversattributetoFyodorDostoevsky'sTheBrothers
Karamazov(1880)thephrase"IfGoddoesnotexist,everythingispermitted,"
nonbelieversoftenretort:"Dostoevskydidnotsaythat!"Forexample,inhis
ChoiceinDyingblogEricMcDonaldcitesCortesi'sarticleas"acorrectiontothis
attribution."OnhisReligionExposed!siteBroghenAnderswritesofthequotation:
"Evenifthatiswhatthecharacterhasbeenattributedtofeel,heneversaidthe
quote([per]Cortesi)."Finally,inatalkgivenattheMarch21,2011"TheLustfor
Certainty"conferenceorganizedbytheSeaofFaithNetwork,KenanMaliksays:
"IfGoddoesnotexist,everythingispermitted."Dostoevskynever
actuallywrotethatline,thoughsooftenisitattributedtohimthathe
mayaswellhave.Ithasbecomethealmostreflexiveresponseof
believerswhenfacedwithanargumentforagodlessworld.Without
religiousfaith,runstheargument,wecannotanchorourmoraltruths
ortrulyknowrightfromwrong.WithoutbeliefinGodwewillbelostin
amiasmaofmoralnihilism.

DidDostoevskyWriteIt?
AsanativeRussianspeakerIamverypuzzledbythisdenial.OnRussian
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webpages"IfGoddoesnotexist,everythingispermitted"isalltoooftencitedasa
kindofmoralargumentfortheism,butnooneaccusesthosewhoappealtoitof
misquotationormisattribution.ThequoteintheoriginalRussianreads:

AGooglesearchproducesanumberofhitsforthisRussianphrase,andGoogle's
searchboxsuggestsanothervariant,"."Thesecond
clauseisavariantofthephrase"everythingispermitted,"
whichappearsseveraltimesinDostoevsky'snovel,alongwith.
ThiskeyphraseappearswordforwordinPart4,Book11,Chapter4("AHymn
andaSecret")ofthenovel.AddressingAlyosha,Mitya(Dmitri)Karamazovquotes
himselfsayingitwhenretellinganearlierconversationwithRakitin.Rakitinisan
aspiringjournalistwhointerviewsMityainthejailrightbeforeAlyoshacomes
along.BothMityaandRakitinpickeduptheideafromIvanKaramazov.Ihave
boldedthekeyphrasebelow:
,!
!...',
?'.',
',,.',
,?
?,,,
?''?'..',,
,,
,,!'
.!
,.

Despitesuchdirectevidence,inhis2000articleCortesiasserts:
Dostoevskyneverwroteit!**
IsaythiswithconfidencebecauseIhavesearchedtheonlinetextof
theConstanceGarnetttranslationofTheBrothersKaramazov,
examiningeveryuseof"God"and"exist"and"lawful"("lawful"ishow
Garnetttranslatesthewordthatotherstranslateas"permitted").

Let'sexamineConstanceGarnett'sEnglishtranslationoftheRussianexcerpt
above(withthekeyphraseinmybold):
AndRakitindoesdislikeGod.Ough!doesn'thedislikeHim!That's
thesorepointwithallofthem.Buttheyconcealit.Theytelllies.They
pretend.'Willyoupreachthisinyourreviews?'Iaskedhim.'Oh,well,
ifIdiditopenly,theywon'tletitthrough,'hesaid.Helaughed.'But
whatwillbecomeofmenthen?'Iaskedhim,'withoutGodand
immortallife?Allthingsarelawfulthen,theycandowhatthey
like?''Didn'tyouknow?'hesaidlaughing,'aclevermancandowhat
helikes,'hesaid.'Aclevermanknowshiswayabout,butyou'veput
yourfootinit,committingamurder,andnowyouarerottingin
prison.'Hesaysthattomyface!Aregularpig!Iusedtokicksuch
peopleout,butnowIlistentothem.(Dostoevskii,p.635)
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ThefirstpartofthephrasewithoutGodisthere,andit'sthemostliteral
translationoftheRussianbutthesecondpartgoessomewhatastray.
ThoughGarnett'stranslationistheearliestandprobablymostwidelyreadone,it
hasoftenbeencriticizedbyscholarsforbeingtoosloppy,andfortryingto
"Westernize"or"naturalize"Dostoevskyattheexpenseofhisoriginal"polyphonic"
language.Forexample,LawrenceVenutiwrites:
ConstanceGarnett,themostwidelyreadEnglishlanguagetranslator
ofRussianliterature,wasalsoamongthemostnaturalizinginher
cultivationofafluentstrategy.Hertranslatingcasttwoillusions
simultaneously:sheinvestedherversionswithrealismandwith
transparency,madethemseemtrueasrepresentationsofrealityand
oftheRussiantexts.(pp.4546)

AmoderntranslationbyRichardPevearandLarissaVolokhonskyishighly
regardedbyscholarsforbeingtruetoDostoevsky'soriginalRussian.This
translationwonthePENBookoftheMonthTranslationPrizeandreceivedmany
positivereviews,suchastheJune1991NewYorkReviewofBooksreviewby
JohnBayley.CarylEmersonwritesofthePevearVolokhonskytranslation:"This
ambitiousnewtranslationofDostoevsky'sfinalandgreatestnovelgoesfartoward
restoringtheformandloweringthecostforEnglishlanguagereaders"(p.309).
VictorTerrasdescribeshowthenewtranslationcomparestotheoldGarnettone:
Icomparetwotranslations,bothexcellent:arelativelyfreeoneand
onethatisasclosetotheoriginalasseemspossible.Theformeris
theConstanceGarnetttranslation,revisedbythelateRalphE.
Matlaw(NewYork:W.W.Norton,1976),andthelatterisbyRichard
PevearandLarissaVolokhonsky(SanFrancisco:NorthPointPress,
1990).(p.150)

TerrasalsonotesthatDostoevsky'slanguageincludes:
occasionaloverstatements,pleonasms,awkwardsyntaxorchoiceof
words,unexpectednounadjectivecombinations,andquirky
phraseology.Allofthesetraitstemptthetranslatortoimproveonthe
original.GarnettoftenyieldstothistemptationPeveartendstobe
moreliteral.(p.156).

LawrenceVenutipraisesthisnewtranslationas"anintriguingexampleinwhicha
formalinterpretantinscribesaninterpretationthatisnotonlyscholarly,but
consistentwithaRussianunderstandingoftheformalpropertiesoftheRussian
text"(p.39).
Nowlet'sexaminethemorescholarlyPevearVolokhonskytranslationofthesame
passagewelastreadintheGarnetttranslationabove(againwiththekeyphrase
inmybold):
AndRakitindoesn'tlikeGod,oof,howhedoesn't!That'sthesore
spotinallofthem!Buttheyconcealit.Theylie.Theypretend.'What,
areyougoingtopushforthatinthedepartmentofcriticism?'Iasked.
'Well,theywon'tletmedoitopenly,'hesaid,andlaughed.'But,'I
asked,'howwillmanbeafterthat?WithoutGodandthefuturelife?
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Itmeanseverythingispermittednow,onecandoanything?''Didn't
youknow?'hesaid.Andhelaughed.'Everythingispermittedtothe
intelligentman,'hesaid.'Theintelligentmanknowshowtocatch
crayfish,butyoukilledandfouleditup,'hesaid,'andnowyou're
rottinginprison!'Hesaidthattome.Anaturalbornswine!Ionce
usedtothrowthelikesofhimoutwell,andnowIlistentothem.
(Dostoevsky1990,p.589)

Wecannowseethatallofthewordingisthere.Notealsothatthefirstpartofthe
phraseinquestion""("WithoutGod")canbetranslatedtoEnglishas
"IfGoddoesnotexist"or"Ifthere'snoGod,"asinAndrewR.MacAndrew's
translation(withthekeyphraseinmybold):
Rakitinnowhedoesn'tlikeGod,doesn'tlikeHimatall.Topeople
likehim,Godisasorespot.Buttheyhideit,theylie,theypretend.
'Willyou,'Iaskedhim,'trytodeveloptheseideasinyourliterary
criticism?''Theywon'tletmedoittooopenly,'hesaid,andlaughed.
'Buttellme,'Iaskedhim,'whatwillhappentomen?Ifthere'sno
Godandnolifebeyondthegrave,doesn'tthatmeanthatmenwill
beallowedtodowhatevertheywant?''Didn'tyouknowthat
already?'hesaidandlaughedagain.'Anintelligentmancando
anythinghelikesaslongashe'scleverenoughtogetawaywithit.
Butyou,yougotcaughtafteryoukilled,sotodayyouhavetorotin
prison.'He'srealswinetosaythattomyfaceafewmonthsagoI
usedtothrowpeoplelikethatoutofthewindow.ButnowIjustsit
andlistentohim.(Dostoevsky1983,p.788)

AlthoughallthreetranslationscapturethespiritofDostoevsky'swordsquitewell,I
mustadmitthattheydodifferinsomelittledetails.Forinstance,Mitya'squestion
'What,areyougoingtopushforthatinthedepartmentofcriticism?'istranslated
correctlyonlyinPevearVolokhonsky'sversion."Departmentofcriticism"iswhere
RakitinseeksemploymentinSt.Petersburg.Thequestionisnotsomuchabout
'preachingthis'or'developingtheseideas,'butaboutbringingtheseideasintothe
department.Rakitin'sanswer,thatthefolksfromthedepartment"won'tletmedoit
openly,"makesmuchmoresenseinthiscontextaswell.
ButCortesi'smainpointissimplyunequivocallywrong.Dostoevskydidwrite,word
forword,"IfGoddoesnotexist,everythingispermitted."Thephraseisnotjust"an
accuratecapsuledescriptionofthebeliefespousedbyIvanKaramazov."Itisnot
surprisingthattheoriginalwordingofthephrasehasbeenlostinEnglish
translationsmuchlesssoindoubletranslationssuchasRussiantoFrenchto
English,asinthecaseofJeanPaulSartre.Inanycase,itisnotatall"misleading"
toputthekeyphraseinquotesandattributeittoacharacterinDostoevsky's
novel.Perhapsinsertinganellipsisinthemiddleofthephrasetoindicatethe
omissionof"andafuturelife"isinordertosatisfystrictpurists:"WithoutGod...
everythingispermitted."Butnofurtherqualificationisneeded.

DidDostoevskyMeanIt?
Despitehiserror,Cortesidoesmakeanumberofgoodpointsinhisarticle.For
example,heisquiterighttoinsistthatitis"falsetoattribute(onthebasisofthis
novelalone)thepropositiontoDostoevskyeitherassomethingheheldoras
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somethinghedenied."Imightaddthatitisequallyfalsetoinferthatthecharacter
IvanKaramazoveitherheldordeniedtheideathat"IfGoddoesnotexist,
everythingispermitted."
IvanKaramazovisoneofthe"goodguys"inthenovel.Heishonest,smart,well
educated,andfinanciallywelloff,andneveraskshisnegligentfatherforhelp.He
startsoffasajournalistandliterarycritic,thenpublishesanewspaperarticleabout
ecclesiasticalcourts,whichwasaverypopularissueofthetime.Inhisarticlehe
analyzesexistingopinionsandexpresseshisownview,earningprominenceand
respectamongbothchurchmenandsecularists(includingatheists).ThusIvan
establisheshimselfasanindependentthinker,capablenotonlyofcommentingon
existingideasbutofgeneratinghisownoriginal"theories."
"IfGoddoesnotexist,everythingispermitted"isabriefandoversimplified
summaryofoneofIvan'searly"theories."InhisessayCortesisuggeststhatIvan
"is'likeasphinx'onthematter,whichirritatesallhisfriends."Thisisn'tquiteright,
forIvanhasnofriends,asheadmitsinthefirstconversationwithhisbrother
Alyosha,withwhomheseeksfriendship.WithAlyoshaheisnotonlyopenabout
hisideasincluding"everythingispermitted"butquiteprolificandeloquent,too.
Infact,thebestpartsofthenovelareaboutIvan'sviewsandtheories!These
include:
1. Rebellion,Part1,Book5,Chapter4"TearsoftheLittleOnes."
(HereaftertitlesaretakenfromthePevearVolokhonsky
translation.)InthefirstconversationwithAlyosha,Ivancites
Voltaire'sfamousline"IfGoddidnotexist,hewouldhavetobe
invented,"thenquiteunexpectedlychangesdirectionandbrilliantly
criticizescoreChristianbeliefsbasedonhisownviewofthe
problemofevil.Thissortofargumentstillposesamajorproblem
forChristianapologists.AsWilliamLaneCraigacknowledges,
"Perhapsnoonehasstatedmorepowerfullytheobjectionthat
human,moralevilposestotheexistenceofGodthanthegreat
RussiannovelistFyodorDostoyevsky"(Craig2003,p.77).He
makesaratherOrwellianattempttoanswerIvan'sobjectionsby
labelingpainfuldeathasagoodratherthananevilbecauseone
canimaginethatitpavesawayforsomesortofagreatergood,
suchasbringingsufferedchildrenandtheirfamiliesclosertoGod
orsendingthemstraighttoHeaven(pp.105107).Onecannot
helpbutthinkthatinCraig'sview,AndreaYatesmusthavebeen
praiseworthysincebydrowningherfivechildreninabath,she
wouldhavesentthemstraighttoHeaven.Noevil,problemsolved.
Thisresponsewouldbelaughableifsomanypeopledidnot
actuallybelieveit.
2. TheGrandInquisitor,Part1,Book5,Chapter5.Thetitlespeaks
foritselfitisanopenattackonorganizedreligion.Thisisthe
religiouscounterpartof"WithoutGod,everythingispermitted."In
Ivan'sviewJesusChristcametosetpeopletotallyfree,but
becauseJesusdidnottellthemwhattodowiththisfreedom,they
endedupinthechaosofnihilism,conflict,anarchy,and
unhappiness.Toescapefromthischaostheyhadtoflockaround
grandinquisitorsandsurrendertheirfreedomsinexchangefora
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slavishhappiness.
3. TheDevil.IvanFyodorovich'sNightmarePart4,Book11,
Chapter9.Ivanisstruckbybrainfeverandsuffersfrom
hallucinations.Inavisionheisvisitedbyhisownalteregothe
Devil.TheDevilturnsouttobeaverychattycompanion,andin
spiteofIvan'sobjections,hecommentsonawealthofIvan'spast
ideasandthoughts.
ContrarytoCortesi,Ivanisnotatall"likeasphinx"evenwithpeoplewhoarenot
friends.Thefirstbigconversationinthenovel,whichinvolvesallofthemajor
characters,takesplaceatelderZosima'smonasteryduringafamilygathering
aboutaninheritance(Part1,Book2).HereIvanfindsanunlikelyallyelder
Zosimahimself,alocalreligiousleaderwhohappenstosharehisideasabout
ecclesiasticalcourtsandtheseparationofchurchandstate.Whenthechurch
statequestionisraised,Ivanreadilypresentsadetailedexplanationofhisviews
onthesubject.Healsoremarksonothersubjects,suchasthe"liberal
dilettantism"which"haslongandfrequentlyconfusedthefinalresultsofsocialism
withthoseofChristianity"(Dostoevsky1990,p.69).
Ivanis"likeasphinx"onlyinthewordsofMityalaterinthenovel,whenMityais
wronglyaccusedofhisfather'smurderandsenttojail.IvancomestovisitMityato
uncoverthetruthaboutthemurder,buthedoesn'tsaymuchaboutanythingelse.
ButitisnotsurprisingthatIvanisnotveryopenwithMitya,forMityaisoneofthe
"badguys"inthenovel,andIvanclearlydislikeshim.
Inanycase,Ivandoesnotbringuptheideathat"IfGoddoesnotexist,everything
ispermitted."Aratherdistortedversionofthisideaperhapsevenamixtureofa
varietyofIvan'sideasisfirstpresentedbyPyotrMiusov,Mitya'srelative(Part1,
Book2,Chapter6):
[L]etmetellyouanotheranecdote,gentlemen,aboutIvan
Fyodorovichhimself,amosttypicalandinterestingone.Nomore
thanfivedaysago,atalocalgathering,predominantlyofladies,he
solemnlyannouncedinthediscussionthatthereisdecidedlynothing
inthewholeworldthatwouldmakemenlovetheirfellowmenthat
thereexistsnolawofnaturethatmanshouldlovemankind,andthat
ifthereisandhasbeenanyloveonearthuptonow,ithascomenot
fromnaturallawbutsolelyfrompeople'sbeliefintheirimmortality.
IvanFyodorovichaddedparentheticallythatthatiswhatallnatural
lawconsistsof,sothatweremankind'sbeliefinitsimmortalitytobe
destroyed,notonlylovebutalsoanylivingpowertocontinuethelife
oftheworldwouldatoncedryupinit.Notonlythat,butthennothing
wouldbeimmoralanylonger,everythingwouldbepermitted,even
anthropophagy[cannibalism].Andeventhatisnotall:heendedwith
theassertionthatforeveryseparateperson,likeourselvesfor
instance,whobelievesneitherinGodnorinhisownimmortality,the
morallawofnatureoughttochangeimmediatelyintotheexact
oppositeoftheformerreligiouslaw,andthategoism,eventothe
pointofevildoing,shouldnotonlybepermittedtomanbutshouldbe
acknowledgedasthenecessary,themostreasonable,andallbut
thenoblestresultofhissituation.(Dostoevsky1990,p.69)
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Theideaisimmediatelypickedupbyeveryothercharacterinthenovel.Mitya
seemstobemostimpressed:
"Allowme,"DmitriFyodorovichsuddenlycriedunexpectedly,"tobe
sureI'veheardcorrectly:'Evildoingshouldnotonlybepermittedbut
evenshouldbeacknowledgedasthemostnecessaryandmost
intelligentsolutionforthesituationofeverygodlessperson'!Isthatit,
ornot?"
"Exactlythat,"saidFatherPaissy.
"I'llremember."(Dostoevsky1990,pp.6970).

ThesubsequentexchangebetweenelderZosimaandIvanisquitetelling:
"Canitbethatyoureallyholdthisconvictionaboutthe
consequencesoftheexhaustionofmen'sfaithintheimmortalityof
theirsouls?"theeldersuddenlyaskedIvanFyodorovich.
"Yes,itwasmycontention.Thereisnovirtueifthereisno
immortality."
"Youareblessedifyoubelieveso,orelsemostunhappy!"
"Whyunhappy?"IvanFyodorovichsmiled.
"Becauseinalllikelihoodyouyourselfdonotbelieveeitherinthe
immortalityofyoursouloreveninwhatyouhavewrittenaboutthe
ChurchandtheChurchquestion."
"Maybeyou'reright...!Butstill,Iwasn'tquitejokingeither..."Ivan
Fyodorovichsuddenlyandstrangelyconfessedbytheway,witha
quickblush.(Dostoevsky1990,p.70)

Inotherwords,Ivanwhodoesnotbelieveinanimmortalsoulislivingproof
thathisownideaiswrong!Thiswasmeantasahalfjoke.FatherZosimacorrectly
surmisesthatquestionisnotresolvedinIvan'sheart,andthereinlieshis"great
grief,foriturgentlydemandsresolution."Butwhatquestiondemandsresolution,
exactly?
Throughoutthenovel,Ivanisdirectlyaskedabouttheideathat"ifthereisno
immortalsoul,thenthereisnovirtue,andeverythingispermitted."Andwhen
asked,Ivanrepeatedlyconfirmsthathestandsbyaffirmingit.Heevensaysto
AlyoshathatMitya'sversionisnotbadatall.However,whenIvanspeaksabout
histheories,thereaderneverreallyknowswhetherheisbeingseriousorjust
joking.
Themostaccuratepresentationofthe"everythingispermitted"theorycomesfrom
theDevilinchaptertitledTheDevil.IvanFyodorovich'sNightmare:
"...'Therearenewpeoplenow,'youdecidedlastspring,asyouwere
preparingtocomehere,'theyproposetodestroyeverythingand
beginwithanthropophagy[cannibalism].Fools,theyneverasked
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me!Inmyopinion,thereisnoneedtodestroyanything,oneneed
onlydestroytheideaofGodinmankind,that'swherethebusiness
shouldstart!Oneshouldbeginwiththat,withthatoh,blindmen,of
nounderstanding!OncemankindhasrenouncedGod,oneandall
(andIbelievethatthisperiod,analogoustothegeologicalperiods,
willcome),thentheentireoldworldviewwillfallofitself,without
anthropophagy,and,aboveall,theentireformermorality,and
everythingwillbenew.Peoplewillcometogetherinordertotake
fromlifeallthatitcangive,but,ofcourse,forhappinessandjoyin
thisworldonly.Manwillbeexaltedwiththespiritofdivine,titanic
pride,andthemangodwillappear.Man,hiswillandhisscienceno
longerlimited,conqueringnatureeveryhour,willtherebyeveryhour
experiencesuchloftydelightaswillreplaceforhimallhisformer
hopesofheavenlydelight.Eachwillknowhimselfutterlymortal,
withoutresurrection,andwillacceptdeathproudlyandcalmly,likea
god.Outofpridehewillunderstandthatheshouldnotmurmur
againstthemomentarinessoflife,andhewilllovehisbrotherthen
withoutanyreward.Lovewillsatisfyonlythemomentoflife,butthe
veryawarenessofitsmomentarinesswillincreaseitsfire,inasmuch
aspreviouslyitwasdiffusedinhopesofaneternallovebeyondthe
grave?'...well,andsoonandsoon,inthesamevein.Lovely!"
Ivanwassittingwithhishandsoverhisears,lookingdown,buthis
wholebodystartedtrembling.Thevoicewenton:
"'Thequestionnow,'myyoungthinkerreflected,'iswhetherornotit
ispossibleforsuchaperiodevertocome.Ifitdoescome,then
everythingwillberesolvedandmankindwillfinallybesettled.But
since,inviewofman'sinveteratestupidity,itmaynotbesettledfor
anotherthousandyears,anyonewhoalreadyknowsthetruthis
permittedtosettlethingsforhimself,absolutelyashewishes,onthe
newprinciples.Inthissense,"everythingispermitted"tohim.
Moreover,sinceGodandimmortalitydonotexistinanycase,evenif
thisperiodshouldnevercome,thenewmanisallowedtobecomea
mangod,thoughitbehealoneinthewholeworld,andofcourse,in
thisnewrank,tojumplightheartedlyoveranyformermoralobstacle
oftheformerslaveman,ifneedbe.ThereisnolawforGod!Where
GodstandsthereistheplaceofGod!WhereIstand,thereatonce
willbetheforemostplace..."everythingispermitted,"andthat's
that!'It'sallveryniceonlyifonewantstoswindle,why,Iwonder,
shouldonealsoneedthesanctionoftruth?Butsuchisthemodern
littleRussianman:withoutsuchasanction,hedoesn'tevendareto
swindle,somuchdoeshelovethetruth..."(Dostoevsky1990,pp.
648649)

ThisexposcausedIvantothrowaglassattheDevil,butitshouldbeclearby
nowthatthephrase"IfGoddoesnotexist,everythingispermitted"isagreat
oversimplificationofIvan'sthoughts(andperhapsthoseofDostoevskyaswell).
ThismaybethereasonwhyIvanisgenerallysilentonthematterotherwisehe
wouldhavetodeliveralengthylecturewhenhehasnotevenmadeuphismind
aboutwhattosay.
Thestartingpointsoundsveryfamiliarit'sarecapitulationofnavesocialistideas
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ofthetimeofFrenchrevolutions.Theseideaswereutterfailuresprettymuchfor
thesamereasonasnavereligiousideaslike"Christsetusfree."GodornoGod
theresultseemstobethesame:menaresupposedtobecomeeitherGodlike
ormengods,andineithercase'everythingispermitted'since"Thereisnolawfor
God!"(Dostoevsky1990,p.649).Ivanhimselfhighlightsthispointinhisfirst
conversationwithAlyoshaafteradmittingthathe"longagodecidednottothink
aboutwhethermancreatedGodorGodcreatedman"(Part2,Book5,Chapter3):
Well,then,whataretheygoingtoargueabout,seizingthismoment
inthetavern?Aboutnoneotherthantheuniversalquestions:isthere
aGod,isthereimmortality?AndthosewhodonotbelieveinGod,
well,theywilltalkaboutsocialismandanarchism,abouttransforming
thewholeofmankindaccordingtoaneworder,butit'sthesame
damnedthing,thequestionsareallthesame,onlyfromtheother
end.(Dostoevsky1990,p.234)

Takegoodoldreligiousmorality:whatgoodcanitdoifitisheavilydependenton
thebeliefinaparticularversionofaparticularGod?Eventhefaithofthosepious
monksfromelderZosima'smonasteryistotallydependentonmiracles,andwhen
anexpectedmiraclefailstohappen,theirfaithisshatteredtotheground,nearly
leadingtoalittlereligiouswarinthemonastery.Dostoevskydepictstheseevents
withadeepsenseofironyinPart3,Book7,Chapter1("TheOdorofCorruption").
FyodorKaramazovmightaswellbeabelieverinGod'scommandments,butwhat
onearthcouldpossiblyforcehimtofollowthem?Whywouldnothejustmakea
donationtothemonastery,andpretendthathesettledallthescoreswithGod?
Threatsofhellfire,maybe?Thenwhatsortof"freedom"isthat?Besides,recent
liberalreformsoftheChristianconceptofHellhadaratherharmfuleffect.
AccordingtotheDevilfromIvan'sNightmare,everythingthathappensonearthis
reflectedinHell:"allofustherearestirredupnow,anditallcomesfromyour
science...Everythingthatyouhave,wehaveaswell"...includingthetorments:
"Whatothertorments?Ah,don'tevenask:beforeitwasonething
andanother,butnowit'smostlythemoralsort,'remorseof
conscience'andallthatnonsense.Thatalsostartedbecauseofyou,
fromthe'mellowingofyourmores.'Well,andwhobenefited?The
unscrupulousbenefited,becausewhatisremorseofconsciencetoa
manwhohasnoconscienceatall?Decentpeoplewhostillhad
someconscienceandhonorleftsufferedinstead...Thereyouhaveit
reformsonunpreparedground,andcopiedfromforeigninstitutions
aswellnothingbutharm!Thegoodoldfirewasmuchbetter."
(Dostoevsky1990,p.643)

ItseemstomethattherealquestiontormentingIvanis:Howdowefindaproper
balancebetweenfreedomandresponsibility?Theanswerhastotakeintoaccount
suchdistinctlyhumanthingsasconscience("remorse"),whichGodeitherlacksor
canovercomewithhisomnipotence.Allpresentattemptstosolvethisproblem,
religiousandsecular,seemtobenefitthe"badguys"themost.
ThisseemstobethemainphilosophicalframeworkofDostoevsky'sentirenovel.
In"ExistentialismisaHumanism"(1946)Sartregetsitright:"withoutGod,
everythingispermitted"isnottheendofmorality,butthebeginningofit!Or,at
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Dostoevsky Did Say It: A Response to David E. Cortesi

least,thebeginningofaquestforanewmorality.Onehastotakefull
responsibility,notonlyforhisownmisdeeds,butforthebadthingsthathappento
otherpeopleaswell.Alyosha,theniceandcuddlyChristian,followsthispath
ratherintuitively.Ivan,the(forthemostpart)coldbloodedrationalistandatheist,
triestofindtheoreticalfoundationsforit,and,withabitofluck,goodargumentsto
convinceotherpeople.
Dostoevskymaynotbemuchofaphilosopher,butheisdefinitelyagreatnovelist.
HefollowstheprinciplesetforthbyhischaracterIvanKaramazovinPart2,Book
5,Chapter3:
IwillnotrunthroughallthemodernaxiomslaiddownbyRussian
boysonthesubject,whichareallabsolutelyderivedfromEuropean
hypothesesbecausewhatisahypothesisthereimmediately
becomesanaxiomforaRussianboy,andthatistruenotonlyof
boysbutperhapsoftheirprofessorsaswell,sinceRussian
professorstodayarequiteoftenthesameRussianboys.And
thereforeIwillavoidallhypotheses.(Dostoevsky1990,p.235)

Inotherwords,nothinginthenovelmustbetakenasanaxiom,notevenasa
hypothesis,forhypothesestendtodevolveintoaxioms.Thismustincludethe
famousphrase"IfGoddoesnotexist,everythingispermitted."Perhapsitisnota
merecoincidencethatallofthecharactersinthenovelwhotookthisphrasetoo
seriouslybyeitheracceptingordenyingitwere"badguys."
References
Bayley,John."ANewDostoevsky?"TheNewYorkReviewofBooks.Vol.38,No.
11(June13,1991).
Craig,WilliamLane.HardQuestions,RealAnswers.Wheaton,IL:Crossway
Books,2003.
Dostoevskii,Fyodor.TheBrothersKaramazov,trans.ConstanceGarnett.London,
UK:Heinemann,1912.
Dostoevsky,Fyodor.TheBrothersKaramazov,trans.AndrewR.MacAndrew.
NewYork,NY:BantamBooks,1983.
Dostoevsky,Fyodor.TheBrothersKaramazov,trans.RichardPevearandLarissa
Volokhonsky.SanFrancisco,CA:NorthPointPress,1990.
Emerson,Caryl."TheBrothers,Complete."TheHudsonReview.Vol.44,No.2
(Summer1991):309316.
Terras,Victor.ReadingDostoevsky.Madison,WI:UniversityofWisconsinPress,
1998.
Venuti,Lawrence."Translation,Interpretation,CanonFormation."InTranslation
andtheClassic:IdentityasChangeintheHistoryofCulture,ed.AlexandraLianeri
andVandaZajko.Oxford,UK:OxfordUniversityPress,2008:2751.
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Dostoevsky Did Say It: A Response to David E. Cortesi

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