RE: Peterson's 12 Rules For Life, have you heard of this?
August 21, 2018 at 12:26 am
(This post was last modified: August 21, 2018 at 12:30 am by Rev. Rye.)
Looking at the latest Bible Reloaded video on Jordan Peterson. Just got to the point where Jordan's talking about Crime and Punishment and using Raskolnikov as an example of what a true athiest would be like, saying the murder Raskolnikov commits is motivated by him taking his atheism to its logical conclusion. As someone who's kind of obsessed with Dostoevsky to the point where he's on my license plate, I have to say: WRONG FUCKING CHARACTER, JORDAN!!!
It's Smerdyakov in Brothers Karamazov who uses atheism as an excuse to murder people, specifically using Ivan's "If there is no God, then everything is permitted" to justify his murder of his father Fyodor. Raskolnikov's motivations are complex and very weird by the standards of normal humans, as is common in Dostoevsky, but at least in this novel, a lack of belief in God is not part of it. To be fair, Sonia is a representation of Christian Love which causes Raskolnikov to finally come to terms with his act and turn himself in, and his theory of the great men is like a proto-Nietzschean Ubermensch ideal, but it's one where the death of God is conspicuously absent. As someone who has SEVEN of his books on my nightstand, I seriously have to ask: of all the examples you could pick to show the immorality of atheists (by an admittedly pretty bloody reactionary writer), are you seriously picking the one who actually says this?:
Svidrigailoff is an even more depraved character than Raskolnikov, given his being a rapist and murderer who actually lives up to the ideal that Raskolnikov held up.
Christ, Jordan, you put Demons on your list of all-time best books along with Crime and Punishment, you'd think that a book about nihilist terrorists would give you better material!
It's Smerdyakov in Brothers Karamazov who uses atheism as an excuse to murder people, specifically using Ivan's "If there is no God, then everything is permitted" to justify his murder of his father Fyodor. Raskolnikov's motivations are complex and very weird by the standards of normal humans, as is common in Dostoevsky, but at least in this novel, a lack of belief in God is not part of it. To be fair, Sonia is a representation of Christian Love which causes Raskolnikov to finally come to terms with his act and turn himself in, and his theory of the great men is like a proto-Nietzschean Ubermensch ideal, but it's one where the death of God is conspicuously absent. As someone who has SEVEN of his books on my nightstand, I seriously have to ask: of all the examples you could pick to show the immorality of atheists (by an admittedly pretty bloody reactionary writer), are you seriously picking the one who actually says this?:
Fyodor Dostoevsky Wrote:“Then you believe in the New Jerusalem, do you?”
“I do,” Raskolnikov answered firmly; as he said these words and during the whole preceding tirade he kept his eyes on one spot on the carpet.
“And... and do you believe in God? Excuse my curiosity.”
“I do,” repeated Raskolnikov, raising his eyes to Porfiry.
“And... do you believe in Lazarus’ rising from the dead?”
“I... I do. Why do you ask all this?”
“You believe it literally?”
“Literally.”
(Book III, Chapter 5)
Svidrigailoff is an even more depraved character than Raskolnikov, given his being a rapist and murderer who actually lives up to the ideal that Raskolnikov held up.
Christ, Jordan, you put Demons on your list of all-time best books along with Crime and Punishment, you'd think that a book about nihilist terrorists would give you better material!
Comparing the Universal Oneness of All Life to Yo Mama since 2010.
![[Image: harmlesskitchen.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/yxR97P23/harmlesskitchen.png)
I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense the world is mad.
I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense the world is mad.
