Thesis advisor: Peter Kreeft / In The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov was convinced it is not right that there is so much suffering in the world, and was convinced nothing could make it right. As a result he was left with no choice but to reject the ticket for this world, or to be indignant toward the world, which means he was indignant toward life in it. If we listen closely to what Fyodor Dostoevksy had to say in five of his works, The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Insulted and Injured, and Notes from the Underground, we will find a way in which we can accept the ticket, which is to say that we will find a way to love life. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T19:20:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARCIA GUIMARAES RIVAS.pdf: 1225263 bytes, checksum: ca150a4cd25e486a9ce5bdd194288c5b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-06-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The present dissertation seeks to grasp the relation between suffering and meaning in the Human condition in Dostoiévski s The Brothers Karamázov , with a particular emphasis on its significance to modern man as well as the purpose of finding a place for a possible contribution from the clinical practice of phenomenology. For that purpose I make use of the method of existential phenomenology in an effort to grasp the intentionality issues involved. In the first chapter I strive to understand Dostoiévski s work in the light of its Russian Orthodox sources, dealing with the authors who studied and commented it and concentrating in further detail on the reading of such categories as suffering, Christianity and Human condition as they appear in this masterpiece of Russian Literature. The Second Chapter is a descriptive compilation of the life of Ivan Karamázov (the main carachter of the book) followed by a phenomenological analysis of his personality and actions, whereby one is led to see how the failure of the notion of Man s sufficiency, which the carachter embodies, and his increasing alienation from the supernatural source of his being, is likely to tear him apart as he seeks to avoid the Human consequences of his passions. Finally, in Chapter 3, I endeavour, in the light of my prime subjects, i.e., suffering and meaning, to establish how Dostoiévski s thought, the main carachter of his book and modern man may be referred to each another, what leads me to the conclusion that the meaning of suffering resides not in suffering itself, but in Man s attitude towards it, be it one of confrontation or denial, acceptance or revolt. Although it in fact exists, is necessary and cannot be denied (denial of suffering is dangerous as it may lead to greater, infernal suffering), suffering is no drive to transformation apart from the diverse meanings which may be attributed to it. Nevertheless, for its acceptance and transformation to be operative, the supernatural aspect in the Human condition must be incorporated. Psycotherapy may contribute to this process of Man s self-revelation by facilitating the first step: not lying to one s self / Nesta dissertação buscamos compreender a relação entre sofrimento e sentido da condição humana, em que pudéssemos transpor a questão para o sofrimento do homem moderno, com a finalidade de encontrar um lugar de contribuição da clínica fenomenológica, em seu entendimento. Para tal, utilizamos o método da fenomenologia existencial de compreensão do fenômeno, de busca de compreensão de intencionalidade. No primeiro capítulo, buscamos a compreensão da ortodoxia e da obra dostoievskiana, através dos autores que trabalham estas questões, focando-nos mais detidamente na leitura do sofrimento, do cristianismo e da condição humana. O segundo capítulo foi uma compilação descritiva da vida de Ivan Karamázov e a subseqüente análise fenomenológica da personagem, quando pudemos testemunhar o fracasso da mentira de suficiência do homem, esquecido de sua sobrenatureza, desaguando em cisão e despedaçamento, no evitamento de suportar suas paixões. Por fim, trabalhamos a tessitura da discussão entre o pensamento dostoievskiano, a personagem na obra e o homem na modernidade, à luz do sofrimento e sentido. Após ter feito este percurso e concluído os resultados, podemos afirmar que o sentido do sofrimento está na atitude que temos diante dele, de enfrentamento ou negação, de aceitação ou revolta. O que nos transforma não é o sofrimento, mas o sentido que damos a ele. Mas, sem sombra de dúvidas, o sofrimento é necessário para que possamos dar sentido e nos transformar em pessoas melhores. O sofrimento existe, é necessário, e negá-lo é garantia de um sofrimento maior ainda, um sofrimento infernal. Portanto, para esta aceitação e transformação pelo sofrimento, o resgate da condição de sobrenatureza é imprescindível. A psicoterapia pode contribuir quando em seu processo de desvelamento o individuo dá seu primeiro passo: o de não mentir a si mesmo

In 1999, aged eighteen, I read 'The Brothers Karamazov' by Dostoevsky. I read this novel in Burundi, where I witnessed the suffering of others. The country's basic problem was civil war, which is best described in this terse note: "Rwanda, the sequel. Same story, different location. Nobody cares." The well-publicised problems in Rwanda in 1994 didn't end, they went next-door. The only thing separating the problems of those two countries was the most heavily landmined stretch of road on the planet. It was on this road, which was littered with the remains of vehicles and people, that I experienced the immediacy of 'the problem of evil'.I had hoped that the book I held in my hands on those lifetime-long hours on the road would resonate with my experience. Ivan Karamazov's accusation of the God who creates a world of atrocities seemed fuelled by an unflinching look at senseless, disteleological suffering. I had hoped that Ivan, with his face turned against God, could countenance the horror I saw. Karamazov's stance has been seen as the antithesis of theodicy, which is the attempt to reconcile faith in God with the existence of evil. This antithesis seems to overcome the distance between the experience of real suffering and the account of that suffering given by academic theodicy. Ultimately, however, that distance remains. Dostoevsky's protagonist in his railing against God connects no more with the victims in this world than a writer of theodicy does with her defence of God.

The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of a dream, a desire, or an idea transpiring in the thoughts of an individual, growing in importance to the individual, and finally becoming an idée fixe, or irresistible idea, which cannot be suppressed by the individual. The investigation will be concerned with the two of Dostoevsky's heroes who best exemplify the phenomenon.

In examining Dostoevsky's treatment of faith in The Brothers Karamazov, critics often focus solely on "The Grand Inquisitor." Dostoevsky, however, refutes the Inquisitor's views through the movement of the three Karamazov brothers toward faith. The three Karamazov brothers, as a collective personality, represent the fundamental needs of man and the corresponding aspects of faith, each brother being an individual study of the necessity of integrating soul, heart and mind into faith. The crises that each brother faces force each one to develop a fuller dimension of faith. The final effect of integrating the soul, heart and mind in faith is active love.

The majority of the academic discourse surrounding Dostoevsky and his epic, The Brothers Karamazov, has been directed toward the philosophic and religious implications of his characters. Largely overlooked, however, is the theme of laceration. In the greater scope of laceration stands the topic of self-laceration. Self-laceration refers to the practice of causing harm to the self in a premeditated and specifically emotionally destructive fashion. The cause of this experience is varied and expressed in as many ways as there are individuals. The struggle in the Russian psyche between viewing the world as fatalistic or as more of an existential experience finds resolution through self-laceration. By consciously choosing actions that will lead to an abject state, the characters take fate into their own hands. This thesis will explore the themes of self-laceration in a number of characters’ narratives and demonstrate that by utilizing emotional self-destruction they find a modicum of control.

[pt] Este trabalho consiste em uma leitura do romance Os Irmãos Karamázov, de Fiódor Dostoiévski, mediante quatro ensaios e uma breve introdução ao universo polifônico do autor, baseada nas concepções de Mikhail Bakhtin, Nicolai Berdiaev e Luiz Felipe Pondé. Os ensaios podem ser lidos como textos autônomos, embora dialoguem com frequência entre si, e não se atêm à defesa de um argumento central, visando, sobretudo, a ampliação das possibilidades hermenêuticas oferecidas pelo objeto. Trata-se de uma escolha que leva em consideração o caráter de obra aberta e resistente à sistematização, como é ressaltado por inúmeros autores. A abordagem é transdisciplinar e dialoga com conceitos dos campos da Literatura (crítica e teoria), Filosofia, Psicologia e Teologia, em consonância com a natureza hipertextual do romance, apresentando uma multiplicidade de caminhos pouco explorados até a atualidade e que podem ser aprofundados futuramente por pesquisadores de diversas áreas. O ponto de partida é o conceito de polifonia, que tem origem no campo da Teoria da literatura, com os escritos de Bakhtin, mas pode ser expandido e aplicado numa reflexão transdisciplinar que envolve elementos da psicologia analítica de Jung, do pensamento de Kierkegaard, Nietzsche e Camus e dos textos canônicos da Ortodoxia e de seus intérpretes contemporâneos. A divisão temática dos ensaios segue a estrutura do romance, baseado principalmente no conflito entre razão e fé, que dá origem ao confronto dialógico entre os irmãos Ivan e Aliócha Karamázov e se afigura como a preocupação máxima de Dostoiévski nas últimas décadas de sua vida, determinando as bases de sua concepção bastante peculiar acerca do problema da liberdade, desenvolvida em detalhes no decorrer do trabalho. / [en] This work consists of a reading of the novel The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, in the key of four essays and a brief introduction to the author polyphonic universe, based on the ideas of Mikhail Bakhtin, Nicolai Berdyaev and Luiz Felipe Pondé. Although intertwined, the essays can be read as standalone texts and do not pretend to defend a central argument; they aim mainly at expanding the possibilities offered by the hermeneutical object. It is a choice that takes into account the character of open work, resistant to systematization, as emphasized by numerous authors. The approach is interdisciplinary and dialogues with concepts from the fields of Literature (criticism and theory), Philosophy, Psychology and Theology, in line with the hypertextual nature of the novel, presenting a multiplicity of paths that remain unexplored and can be further developed by future researchers. The starting point is the concept of polyphony, which originates in the field of Literary Theory, with the writings of Bakhtin, but can be expanded and applied to a transdisciplinary reflection that involves elements of Jung s analytical psychology, the thought of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Camus and canonical texts of Orthodoxy and its contemporary interpreters. The thematic division of the texts follows the structure of the novel, based mainly in the conflict between reason and faith which gives rise to the dialogical confrontation between the brothers Ivan and Alyosha Karamazov and appears to be the highest concern of Dostoevsky in the last decades of his life, determining the basis of his rather peculiar approach on the problem of freedom, developed in detail in this work.

Thesis "The Christological, soteriological and relevant spiritual topics in the Dostoevsky Work The Brothers Karamazov" applies to the life and literary heritage of the Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, especially to his master piece The Brothers Karamazov. The novel summarizes the writer's life ideas which have matured throughout life. In this work, the emphasis is primarily put on finding and describing christological and soteriological features contained in the novel demonstrating the author's inner conviction and faith in Jesus Christ. The thesis also points to some spiritual themes, which are crucial in the literary work, such as human suffering and questions of faith and human freedom. Keywords Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, christology, soteriology, spirituality, faith, freedom

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