Brothers Karamazov

To be honest, I'm starting to run out of movies to talk about. So, since I've been reading "The Brothers Karamazov," by Fyodor Dostoevsky, I figured I'd talk a bit about the interesting parts. He's also wrote "Crime and Punishment," by the way. Oh, and there IS a movie called "The Brothers Karamazov," although between being in Russian and being 40 years old I can't imagine anyone is interested. In all fairness, the clips that I watched were pretty good, but it's not something I would spend much time on.

(Disclaimer: I haven't finished the last 100 pages, which means I've only gotten through roughly 90% of the book. I wish that was a joke. Anyway, apologies to anyone who has actually gotten through this whole thing)

The three brothers are named Mitya, Alyosha, and Ivan. The represent the sensual, the idealistic, and the intellectual, respectively. Their conversations are often fascinating; both Mitya and Ivan think that God is fading away in the minds of the people, and that this could very well disrupt the foundations of morality that rest underneath society. That question is interesting enough: what gives people the inclination to act morally without some kind of eternal judgment at the end of their lives?

At some points, Ivan advocates a rather existential mindset. He thinks that humans can live together in harmony, even without God, by embracing their common humanity and looking for united happiness in this world, instead of the next. However, he doubts that this sort of era can come about. It's not a difficult thing to be skeptical of; such a system would have to be well thought out, and most people, upon being freed from the chains of a god, would not look towards long term desires.

Alyosha is the idealistic monk; he believes in God still, even though his brother Mitya insists that God must move aside so that science can progress. He prays for both of this brothers throughout the book; I'll be vague on the details, but they both get into serious trouble. Anyway, the question of whether God exists is key to this book, but even more important is the implications if he doesn't. Will everything be lawful, as many minor characters contend, or is there some sort of morality written into humanity itself? It seems that all of the brothers find something unappealing about "everything being lawful," regardless of their feelings about God. Even Mitya, the sensual brother who excels at getting extremely drunk, cheating, and stealing money, tells his brother Alyosha that he is sorry to see God go.

Anyways, sorry to expose you all to a book review on a blog that should be portraying epic movies. What are your thoughts on these theological questions? This book was written about 100 years ago. Are the questions still relevant today?