Description
Book SynopsisFor all his distance from formal philosophy, Fyodor Dostoevsky was one of the most philosophical of writers. In works from fictional masterpieces to little-known nonfiction prose, he grappled with the ultimate questions about the nature of humankind. His novels are peopled by characters who dramatize the fierce debates that preoccupied the Russian intelligentsia during the second half of the nineteenth century.
What was the philosophy of Dostoevsky? How does reading this literary giant from a new perspective add to our understanding of him and of Russian culture? In this remarkable book, a leading authority on Russian thought presents the first comprehensive account of Dostoevsky''s philosophical outlook.
Drawing on the writer''s novels and, more so than other scholars, on his essays, letters, and notebooks, James P. Scanlan examines Dostoevsky''s beliefs. The nonfiction pieces make possible new interpretations of some of the author''s most controversial works of ficti
Trade Review
Scanlan... teases out logical arguments from both the literary and nonliterary works of his subject, the latter of which provide rich and previously little-known source material.... One of the premier scholars of Russian philosophy in the US, Scanlan has a general approach that is sober and urbane; he makes a spirited and convincing defense of Dostoevsky as an innovative thinker. The section of Dostoevsky's arguments for the existence of God is by itself worth the purchase price. Recommended for undergraduates.
-- D.C. Shaw * Choice *
This is a thoughtful, clearly written and well-researched study, full of excellent points, and finely wrought arguments. It will be essential reading for all those concerned with Dostoevskii's philosophical, religious views and the history of ideas in Russia.
-- Diane Oenning Thompson, University of Cambridge * Slavonic and East European Review *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Dostoevsky as a Philosopher1. Matter and Spirit2. The Case against Rational Egoism3. The Ethics of Altruism4. A Christian Utopoa5. "The Russian Idea"Conclusion: Dostoevsky's Vision of HumanityIndex
