Dostoevsky Teaches Us to See the Darkness in Others and Ourselves

“The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.” - Albert Camus

Poverty and ignorance alone cannot produce a ghost of evil. It is a subconscious force that waits for the right opportunity to manifest in the human heart. It is a dangerous belief to think that society can be changed without it. 19th-century liberals held fast to this ideal. They believed that people would become more moral if they had access to education, wealth, and favourable circumstances. Such hopes were dashed during Dostoevsky's years of exile in Siberia.

To Dostoevsky, reality is not denied by the wise. They search for it in both themselves and other people. They are aware that everyone has the potential to be cruel, calculating, and diabolical and that evil is a natural byproduct of freedom. This calls for caution rather than hopelessness. You must learn to recognize when someone's drive for power hides as morality and when their defiance of authority leads them to ruin if they want to become a master of themselves. And in others, you have to see not just the masks they wear, but also the darkness they hide behind.

Those who challenge the reassuring lies of goodness and face the reality, that evil is a choice, continually regenerating, and forever connected to the human condition are the ones who hold the power. Navigating this reality involves identifying evil, preventing it, and using knowledge of it as a survival tool rather than hoping to get rid of it.