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Their favourite phrase! From which it follows that, if…

“Their favourite phrase! From which it follows that, if society is normally organised, all crime will cease at once, since there will be nothing to protest against and all men will become righteous in one instant. Human nature is not taken into account, it is excluded, it's not supposed to exist!…” quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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““Their favourite phrase! From which it follows that, if society is normally organised, all crime will cease at once, since there will be nothing to protest against and all men will become righteous in one instant. Human nature is not taken into account, it is excluded, it's not supposed to exist! They don't recognise that humanity, developing by a historical living process, will become at last a normal society, but they believe that a social system that has come out of some mathematical brain is going to organise all humanity at once and make it just and sinless in an instant, quicker than any living process! That's why they instinctively dislike history, 'nothing but ugliness and stupidity in it,' and they explain it all as stupidity! That's why they so dislike the living process of life; they don't want a living soul! The living soul demands life, the soul won't obey the rules of mechanics, the soul is an object of suspicion, the soul is retrograde! But what they want though it smells of death and can be made of India-rubber, at least is not alive, has no will, is servile and won't revolt! And it comes in the end to their reducing everything to the building of walls and the planning of rooms and passages in a phalanstery! The phalanstery is ready, indeed, but your human nature is not ready for the phalanstery—it wants life, it hasn't completed its vital process, it's too soon for the graveyard! You can't skip over nature by logic. Logic presupposes three possibilities, but there are millions! Cut away a million, and reduce it all to the question of comfort! That's the easiest solution of the problem! It's seductively clear and you musn't think about it. That's the great thing, you mustn't think! The whole secret of life in two pages of print!””

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attempting to force a perfect, static society ignores human nature’s need for growth and freedom; such logic leads to oppression.

In simple terms: Perfect societies ignore human nature and cause oppression.

Key Takeaway

Respect natural human development over forced perfection.

Themes

society human nature freedom logic

Mood

cautious critical

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

  • political reforms
  • education systems
  • urban planning
  • technological governance

Key Concepts

totalitarianism historical process philosophical idealism

Questions to Reflect On

  • Can a balanced system honor both order and freedom?
  • What role does history play in shaping societies?
A Different Perspective

Rigid systems can stifle creativity and cause rebellion.

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