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.
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?
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.
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.
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
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
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 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!👏
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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 RU-vid 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
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.
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 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 RU-vid videos.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
