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“A Little Hero” and the Peter-and-Paul Fortress

After Dostoevsky was convicted of treason and conspiracy for, among other things, reading an ironic letter about Gogol aloud to his literary circle, he was sentenced to death, but that sentence was then commuted by the emperor into four years of labor in a Siberian prison camp, and then enlistment in the Russian army for … Continue reading “A Little Hero” and the Peter-and-Paul Fortress →

Netochka Nezvanova – the Last of the Pre-Exile Writing

Just before being arrested in 1849 and subsequently shipped off the Siberia, Dostoevsky had begun work on what was to be an enormous novel - Netochka Nezvanova, literally “A Nameless Nobody” (I read a translation by Jane Kentish, from Penguin Classics).  There is a lot of interesting stuff going on here – for one, it … Continue reading Netochka Nezvanova – the Last of the Pre-Exile Writing →

The Underdetermination Argument for Freedom of the Will

I've been thinking lately about why it's wrong to kill people--not because I'm tired of the constraint, but out of mere theoretical interest.  One of the views I've encountered in the literature holds that it's wrong to kill people because they possess a special kind of dignity.  Patrick Lee and Robert George defend this view … Continue reading The Underdetermination Argument for Freedom of the Will →

“The Landlady” and “White Nights” – Dreamers’ Romances

In one of the Feuilletons, Dostoevsky outlines a character-type – “the dreamer.”  The dreamer is heavily influenced by Romantic literature, to the point where he (and it’s definitely a he) expects his life to operate in its categories.  Not necessarily to the extent of madness and insanity – more just the sort of cultivated melancholy … Continue reading “The Landlady” and “White Nights” – Dreamers’ Romances →

Rawls [5], “The Sense of Justice,” (1963)

In this essay Rawls addresses two questions, one raised specifically by his theory of justice and the other a general and much discussed meta-ethical question.  The specific question is, "To whom do the principles of justice apply?" or "To whom is justice owed?"  The general meta-ethical question is, "What motivates us to act morally--i.e., to … Continue reading Rawls [5], “The Sense of Justice,” (1963) →