Episode #219 ... Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment

Today we talk about the philosophical themes that Dostoevsky had in mind when writing Crime and Punishment. We talk about Russian Nihilism and it's consequences. Rational Utilitarianism and Egoism. A common misunderstanding of Raskolnikov as an embodiment of Nietzsche's work. Confession. Guilt. Affirming life through consent. And much more. Hope you love it! :)

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help.

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[Anarcath]

Great audio.... More of Dostoyevsky is always welcome... Nietzsche once said that the only writer he'd ever learned from was Dostoyevsky.

[Chamasettings]

Ive been waiting for a new Dostoevsky episode impatiently! Thanks Stephen and Happy Holidays

[SlobodanFilipov]

Hi Stephen, we appreciate your podcast very much!
Thank you so much for all you do! Your last two episodes about Dostoyevsky have been particularly refreshing, as we don’t often hear about Eastern and/or close-to-Orthodox Christian worldviews and amazing writers here in the West. We are from former Yugoslavia where Dostoyevsky’s masterpieces are part of mandatory literature starting in grade 10. It has shaped our upbringing; focus on being part of a collective, importance of confession and common guilt and a strong belief in interconnections among everything. Living here in the West, we don’t see those ideas generally in everyday life, quite the opposite… so thank you for dedicating time on your podcast for them!

[mars]

I really appreciate this dive into Dostoyevski. Please keep it up!

[mtglolz]

Just commenting for the algo, keep up the great work! Dostoevsky has made me reflect on who I am, that smaller version of ourselves that often has an outsized voice, that we repress or project onto others. Thank you!

[vile]

This was amazing, I’d love more parts! I’ve watched every episode so far and am waiting patiently for more 😁😁

[alimohamadimama]

This is a great series looking forward for the next episode

[SzymonKot_]

finished the novel yesterday. perfect timing. great episode really learned a lot. I love the mentioning of how Raskolnikov relates to Nietzsche since it's something I was really curious about. thanks man.

[metingun]

Excellent episode! I’m looking forward to the one about The Brothers Karamazov, where I believe Dostoyevsky articulated his vision of an ideal religious person—one he promised in Crime and Punishment—through the character of Alyosha.

[dimad]

I think Crime and Punishment is very of the moment because of the Luigi Mangione Crime. I immediately thought of the Dostoyevski novel. Full disclosure: I grew up in the Soviet union, and read C&P in high school. Commentary Magazine podcast had a very interesting episode recently about Luigi and Dostoyevski.

[Michael-blxh]

Loving the exploration of Dostoevsky's works, thank you! I can't wait for more!

[nazzenpoppel]

Excellent episode. You brought to light certain nuances of message that I missed when I read it. All this and in plain English with a joke here and there to see who's awake.

Спасибо

[MichailKuznetsovRU]

I had troubles getting previous episode on my smartphone Spotify for a week and ended up listening it here, imagine how happy I was to get the next episode just immediately afer ❤

[edvardasslikas]

You are our atonement for not reading all the books we should have.

[jauharmehdi]

This episode is far out! Kindly create more podcasts on other literary work. They offer good scenarios to discuss philosophy. Love it.

[rohank]

This was an excellent episode, more episodes like this please.

[alanryan]

You are a consumate educational entertainer. Thank you.

[darkness]

I'm down for more but if you wanna take a break for a bit and do other things that's cool. 220 can be a good way to round out the "Dostoevsky trilogy'

[Anarcath]

I think Roskolnikov failed in a sense that he didn’t realize that no one could forgive him, that there is no such thing as forgiveness. He couldn’t overcome himself and own what he’d done and moved on without outside help. And by the way, he would’ve avoided nine years of prison.

[jeremybridge]

I read this 15 years ago as an adult, as literature. I found it a bit of a slog. After hearing your episode, I'm considering rereading it. Thanks for the philosophical context. I guess I really needed it.