The Brothers Karamazov
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The Brothers Karamazov, also translated as The Karamazov Brothers, is the sixteenth and final novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazo
The first page of the first edition of The Brothers Karamazov
Optina Monastery served as a spiritual center for Russia in the 19th century and inspired many aspects of The Brothers Karamazov.
Dostoyevsky's notes for Chapter 5 of The Brothers Karamazov
Hedonism
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Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As
The Brothers Karamazov
…of the biographical section of Zosima's life are based on "The Life of the Elder Leonid", a text he found at Optina. Fyodor Pavlovich, a 55-year-old sensualist and compulsive liar, is the father of three sons — Dmitri, Ivan and Alexei — from two marriages. He is rumored to have also fathered an illegitimate…
Thomas Hobbes was a key advocate of psychological hedonism.
Robert Nozick criticized hedonism for not distinguishing between authentic and inauthentic pleasures.
Epicurus developed a nuanced form of ethical hedonism, arguing that a tranquil state of mind cultivated through moderation leads to the greatest overall happiness.
Aesthetic hedonism states that any entity, such as Vincent van Gogh's painting The Starry Night, is beautiful if it causes aesthetic pleasure.