Book II, ch. 6 (trans. Constance Garnett)
• Pyotr Miusov, summarizing an argument made by Ivan at a social gathering
• Pyotr Miusov, summarizing an argument made by Ivan at a social gathering
“
If you were to destroy in mankind the belief in immortality, not only love but every living force maintaining the life of the world would at once be dried up. Moreover, nothing then would be immoral, everything would be lawful, even cannibalism.
— Fyodor Dostoyevsky
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "If you were to destroy in mankind the belief in immortality, not only love but every living force maintaining the life of the world would at once be dried up. Moreover, nothing then would be immoral, everything would be lawful, even cannibalism." in the context of "Book II, ch. 6 (trans. Constance Garnett)
• Pyotr Miusov, summarizing an argument made by Ivan at a social gathering" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Fyodor Dostoyevsky" (General, The Brothers Karamazov (1879–1880): Original Russian text wikisource:ru:Братья Карамазовы (Достоевский),
English translation wikisource:The Brothers Karamazov translated by Constance Garnett.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevsky Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский (11 November 1821 - 9 February 1881) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. Dostoevsky's literary works explore the human condition in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest novelists in all of world literature, as multiple of his works are considered highly influential masterpieces.
About Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevsky Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский (11 November 1821 - 9 February 1881) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. Dostoevsky's literary works explore the human condition in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest novelists in all of world literature, as multiple of his works are considered highly influential masterpieces.
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