Ivan Karamazov is a Hopeless Romantic
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In: International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Vol. 77, No. 1, 02.2015, p. 65-73.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Ivan Karamazov is a Hopeless Romantic
AU - Betenson, Toby
PY - 2015/2
Y1 - 2015/2
N2 - Ivan Karamazov is frequently used, and misused, in discussions concerning the problem of evil. The purpose of this article is to correct some pervasive misinterpretations of Ivan’s statement, as found in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. I criticise some common misinterpretations, as exemplified in the theodical work of Marilyn Adams and John Hick, as well as the more nuanced interpretation of Stewart Sutherland. Though Sutherland’s interpretation is the strongest, it nevertheless misses the mark in identifying Ivan as a positivist. I argue that Ivan Karamazov is not a positivist, but a romantic, and a hopeless one at that. We should, therefore, not read Ivan as stating an argument for the non-existence of God, but instead see him as a representative of a very particular and robust form of non-cognitive atheism.
AB - Ivan Karamazov is frequently used, and misused, in discussions concerning the problem of evil. The purpose of this article is to correct some pervasive misinterpretations of Ivan’s statement, as found in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. I criticise some common misinterpretations, as exemplified in the theodical work of Marilyn Adams and John Hick, as well as the more nuanced interpretation of Stewart Sutherland. Though Sutherland’s interpretation is the strongest, it nevertheless misses the mark in identifying Ivan as a positivist. I argue that Ivan Karamazov is not a positivist, but a romantic, and a hopeless one at that. We should, therefore, not read Ivan as stating an argument for the non-existence of God, but instead see him as a representative of a very particular and robust form of non-cognitive atheism.
U2 - 10.1007/s11153-014-9487-9
DO - 10.1007/s11153-014-9487-9
M3 - Article
VL - 77
SP - 65
EP - 73
JO - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
JF - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
SN - 0020-7047
IS - 1
ER -