Scott Yenor, Ph.D., is a Professor of Political Science at Boise State University. He studies political philosophy with a focus on the role of the family in political thought.
Yenor is the author of The Recovery of Family Life: Exposing the Limits of Modern Ideologies (Baylor University Press, 2020), Family Politics: The Idea of Marriage in Modern Political Thought (Baylor University Press, 2011), and David Hume's Humanity: The Philosophy of Common Life and Its Limits (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).
How do we get from very convincing critique of modern science to Christianity? I know dostoevsky was a Christian, but is that not just one of many supernatural alternatives to the very rationalist natralusm that dostoevskys taking aim at? (Dostoevskys writing have made me very skeptical of Rationalism and very open to supernatural alternatives (I'd even say its made me think there nessesary) but I'm not sure it's made me Christian - its argument seam more deconstructive of Rationalism that constructive of Christianity - with maybe the idiot as the exception - from what I've read so far atleast)
Your commentary was amazing. By standing on your shoulders, I was able to understand this book and the valulable lessons within. Thank you! I went from almost giving up, found your videos, I was then off to the races!
The main character (i.e. the boy) is Francis Marion Tarwater. Rayber is his uncle (his mother's brother) and Old Man Tarwater is his great-uncle (his maternal grandmother's brother). The relationship between young Tarwater and Rayber is the same relationship as the one between Rayber and Old Man Tarwater (i.e. nephew and maternal uncle). Rayber's son, Bishop, is young Tarwater's first cousin. These characters represent three generations of the same family.
Thanks for the lecture. I'm not an expert, but I am very familiar with these chapters. I think what you're saying maps onto what Solzhenitsyn is saying, but it is not at all what he would say. It just seems yours bringing in some non-Solzhenitsyn concepts into it. Which isn't necessarily bad - I do this too in my reading of him. But for those listening, it doesn't seem to be exactly what Solzhenitsyn's message is. (From my understanding)
Hahahaha Newsmen are the BS these days. I enjoyed the lectures. New subscriber. Maybe she held the key in his eyes, and it’s why he kept helping her. Hope. If she could have loved him and been faithful in spite of his infirmity, he might have changed his perspective, or he would have had to, which would have nec. brought with it less philosophy and more self examination. So it seems with her he was still open to discovery.
I think Hemingway does find hope in Faith and the Church. There's a lot missing here regarding his own conversion to Catholicism, prayer and healing (he was actually impotent after being wounded in WW1 and found himself healed after extensive prayer.) These themes bleed into TSAR. Also there is some interesting metephor between the matador and the priest celebrating the mass. One donning ritualistic vestments, meeting the eternal (God in the Eucharist and God in nature (the bull)), both intertwined with death as the portal to eternity. Enjoyed this lecture!
I read the Maguire translation, and after comparing some of my favorite passages with the Pevear and Garnett, I'm glad I did: the former seems more direct, and it has the "at Tikhon" chapter in the Appendix. Here are equivalent passages of the Maguire (2006), Garnett (1923?), and Pevear (1994) translations: "`Finally, the scene changes again, and before us appears a wild place, a civilized young man wanders among crags, plucking and sucking herbs of some sort, and when a fairy asks him why he is sucking these herbs, he replies that since he feels an overabundance of life within himself, he seeks oblivion and finds it in the juices of these herbs, but that what he desires most of all is to lose his mind as quickly as possible (a desire that is perhaps superfluous)." "At last the scene is changed again; a wilderness appears, and among the rocks there wanders a civilized young man who picks and sucks certain herbs. Asked by a fairy why he sucks these herbs, he answers that, conscious of a superfluity of life in himself, he seeks forgetfulness, and finds it in the juice of these herbs, but that his great desire is to lose his reason at once (a desire possibly superfluous)." "Finally, the scene changes again, and a wild place appears, where a civilized young man wanders among the rocks picking and sucking at some wild herbs, and when a fairy asks him why he is sucking these herbs, he responds that he feels an overabundance of life in himself, is seeking oblivion, and finds it in the juice of these herbs, but that his greatest desire is to lose his reason as quickly as possible (a perhaps superfluous desire)." I let you be the judge of what reads more pleasantly. One prominent difference is that Maguire uses the word "mind" over "reason" which is a GIGANTIC semantic difference. I don't speak Russian and cannot determine the Russian-English accuracy.
Highly recommend Aaron Renn’s new book Life in the Negative World. As you can see from the people who have chosen to comment on this video, it’s a very unhappy place. Especially considering that they feel that they have won.
You sound like a big ninny and look like a middle aged lesbian. Jackson seems to share your testosterone deficit. EDIT: The most telling thing about you is the “gay accent” you can’t seem to suppress 😂
thank you. I read this book many years ago. With these lectures as inspiration and guidance I plan to read it again, aloud, to my wife (we enjoy doing that together).
Aaaaa! I love this book and this series, please, we (I) need the Sonya's video, it's like top 1 most important relationship whit Rodya, I would be grateful
Why don’t you just say what you really mean? All this crunched language doesn’t appeal to young people who have been lied to their whole lives about what the older generations have in store for us. But I suppose you know that only those who have already bought into your true mission can be proselytized in clear language. I guess the question is, how many of those American values are you willing to compromise in order to bring about these changes because surely you don’t believe in real equality.
I watched this series of videos and wrote absolutely everything, simply fantastic. Two years later, here I am to enjoy such a great intellect. Thank you!
My third Dostoevsky book as well. I struggled towards the end with the names and relationships. I felt there was something profound that I barely grasped that had to do with Good versus Evil OR God and the Devil. The scene between the cripple and Nikolay seemed to highlight the fact she could see, he was indeed possessed. It was kinda scary because I've seen that in a human being as well. The author also seems prophetic in making the claim, without saying it, what came to pass in Russia was of their own making (of-course could never blame anyone for what happened but Communism is truly evil and how could he know). Which is strangely chilling, due to the similarity of atheism and embracement of immorality here in the US currently. We seem to be sinking in the same direction. It's frightening. Thank-you for your excellent summary and analysis.
Thank you for this series. I LOVE his last book. I sum the book that it's hard to live life but it's possible and that all will die in the end. One of my favorite autor. Again, thank you very much.
Nowhere in chapter 2 does it say that they are planning to stage a suicide. In part xvii Dmitry Sergeich just gets drunk with Verochkas mother and then goes to Verochkas room without explaining how she will be able to escape from her mother. Still Verochka acts as if Dmitry has found a way and becomes cheerful for no apparent reason. I find this part very strange. Please explain.
that was so helpful! i wanted to start the book but the unfamiliar history was totally daunting. thank you for your concise summation of the historical context!
I’ve read Crime and Punishment, and The Brothers Karamazov in the past 4 weeks. Yesterday I picked up The Idiot and Demons. As this is my first time reading through Dostoyevsky (finally, I’m hooked!) I’ve been doing careful preparation for each novel so I can get the most out of it as possible. I will be re-reading these throughout my life no doubt, but I feel like these novels demand a certain level of preparation. Anyways, I wasn’t finding many good introductions to Demons until I found this video. I’m taking notes right now, and I’m going to assimilate them over the next day or two, and then dive into Demons. Thank you very much, Scott.
