St. Augustine hated the Stoics, Dostoevsky hated the…
““St. Augustine hated the Stoics, Dostoevsky hated the Russian Liberals. At first sight this seems a quite inexplicable peculiarity. Both were convinced Christians, both spoke so much of love, and suddenly - such hate! And against whom? Against the Stoics, who preached self-abnegation, who esteemed virtue above all things in the world, and against the Liberals who also exalted virtue above all things! But the fact remains: Dostoevsky spoke in rage of Stassyulevitch and Gradovsky; Augustine could not be calm when he spoke the names of those pre-Stoic Stoics, Regulus and Mutius Scaevola, and even Socrates, the idol of the ancient world, appeared to him a bogey. Obviously Augustine and Dostoevsky were terrified and appalled by the mere thought of the possibility of such men as Scaevola and Gradovsky - men capable of loving virtue for its own sake, of seeing virtue as an end in itself. Dostoevsky says openly in the Diary of a Writer that the only idea capable of inspiring a man is that of the immortality of the soul.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote highlights the paradox of devout Christians despising those who embody pure virtue, revealing fear of selfless moral ideals.
In simple terms: Christians sometimes resent pure virtue.
Key Takeaway
Beware of fearing virtuous ideals.
Themes
religion
philosophy
psychology
virtue
hate
Mood
conflicted
thoughtful
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- theological debate
- personal introspection
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
existentialism
moral psychology
paradox of virtue
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we resent those who live solely for virtue?
- How does fear of selfless ideals shape our judgments?
A Different Perspective
The admiration of virtue can provoke envy and anxiety.