Humanities The Brothers Karamazov “ Ivan’s Nightmare”
Quotes and questions
What are the motives, desires and psychology of the devil?
“I too shall walk my quadrillion miles and learn the secret”.
Why is the devil curious about the great secret? Does he want to be good?
Does the devil even exist or is he =our own manifestation like Hamlet’s
ghost? And if so, are we supposed to feel sorry for him?
It’s reactionary to believe in god today. I said “but I am the devil so
people can believe in me”.
Must the devil, like God, prove his existence?
Must god?
I was predestined to deny, yet I am genuinely good hearted I’m not at
all inclined to negation.
Nothing human is beyond the possibility of Satan
I am perhaps the one man who loves the truth and really desires good>
What? Why does Satan need the ritual comfort of religion Does he want
to believe or is he mocking humans and their silly religion or he just
needs the ritual
Does the author
mean that the devil is our teacher. Is the irrational evil? “I serve to produce events and do what is
irrational because I am commanded to.”
My ideal is to go to church and offer a candle in simple hearted faith.
Whose Ideal is this. Who is it for?
For what am I on earth but a poor relative…
Does the devil take form of whom he is in the presence of?
Can the devil remember if x is true can he remember his past encounters
with other people?
Why did the devil care if Ivan believed in him or not. Why does Ivan
resist then finally believe?
Belief and will
What’s the good of believing against your will? Thomas believed because he
wanted to believe.
How strong is will ?
Is this an abandonment of reason? Does this make humans feel better?
Here is no point in trying to believe something against one’s will.
Con you convince someone to believe in something he doesn’t have faith in
(same as will?)?
Proof is no help to believing.
Extending his conquest of nature by his will and his science, man will
feel such lofty joy from hour to hour that it will make up for all his old
dreams of the joys of heaven.
You are stupid, awfully stupid. Lie to me better or I won’t listen.
It’s only that I don’t know how to destroy you and I see I must suffer for
a time.
Suffering
Without suffering what would be the leisure of life. Life would be
transformed into an endless church service it would be holy but tedious!
It’s better to fail than not try at all, as an afflicted marquis
observed not long ago
One forgets the whole world and all worlds and sticks to one such saint
because he is a very precious diamond. One such soul is sometimes worth a
constellation
Why is this insensibility necessary?
Without suffering, what would be the pleasure of life
But common sense, oh a most unhappy trait in my character, kept me in
bounds and let the moment pass.
All things are lawful
If everything in the universe were sensible, nothing would happen.
The doctor who used to cure all sorts of diseases has completely
disappeared. I assure you, now there are only specialists and they all
advertise in the newspapers>
Well , they’ve chosen their scapegoats they’ve made me write the column
of criticism and so life has been made possible?
I would like to believe in you.
My dear fellow, intelligence isn’t the only thing> I have a kind and
happy heart.
Somehow this terrible little man has convinced me joust for a moment that
he was the one on the cross.