A Confession
by Leo Tolstoy
'A Confession ' Summary
Tolstoy goes on to describe four possible attitudes towards this dilemma. The first is ignorance. If one is oblivious to the fact that death is approaching, life becomes bearable. The problem with this for him personally is that he is not ignorant. Having become conscious of the reality of death, there is no going back.
The second possibility is what Tolstoy describes as Epicureanism. Being fully aware that life is ephemeral, one can enjoy the time one has. Tolstoy's problem with this is essentially moral. He states that Epicureanism may work fine and well for the minority who can afford to live "the good life," but one would have to be morally empty to be able to ignore the fact that the vast majority of people do not have access to the wealth necessary to live this kind of life.
Tolstoy next states that the most intellectually honest response to the situation would be suicide. In the face of the inevitability of death and assuming that God does not exist, why wait? Why pretend that this vale of tears means anything when one can just cut to the chase? For himself, however, Tolstoy writes that he is “too cowardly” to follow through on this most “logically consistent” response.
Finally, Tolstoy says that the fourth option, the one he is taking, is the one of just holding on; living “despite the absurdity of it,” because he is not willing “or able” to do anything else. So it seems “utterly hopeless” - at least “without God”.
So Tolstoy turns to the question of God's existence: After despairing of his attempts to find answers in classic philosophical arguments for the existence of God (e.g. the Cosmological Argument, which reasons that God must exist based on the need to ascribe an original cause to the universe), Tolstoy turns to a more mystical, intuitive affirmation of God's presence. He states that as soon as he said "God is Life," life was once again suffused with meaning. This faith could be interpreted as a Kierkegaardian leap, but Tolstoy actually seems to be describing a more Eastern approach to what God is. The identification of God with life suggests a more monistic (or panentheistic) metaphysic characteristic of Eastern religions, and this is why rational arguments ultimately fall short of establishing God's existence. Tolstoy's original title for this work indicates as much, and his own personal "conversion" is suggested by an epilogue that describes a dream he had some time after completing the body of the text, confirming that he had undergone a radical personal and spiritual transformation.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
RussiaPublished In
1882Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Author
Leo Tolstoy
Russia
Born to an aristocratic Russian family in 1828, Tolstoy is best known for the novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878),often cited as pinnacles of realist fiction. He first achieved litera...
More on Leo TolstoyListen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The Counter-Reformation by Adolphus Ward
It explores the period of Catholic resurgence in response to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries. First published in 1910, the b...
When the Holy Ghost Is Come by Samuel Logan Brengle
"The Holy Spirit is the power of God that transforms lives and empowers believers to live a victorious Christian life. In When the Holy Ghost Is Come,...
A Booke of Christian Questions and Answers by Theodore Beza
Dive into the depths of Christian faith and knowledge with "A Booke of Christian Questions and Answers" by Theodore Beza, a compelling compilation of...
The Plan of Salvation by Benjamin B. Warfield
Five Lectures Delivered at The Princeton Summer School of Theology, June, 1914. In these lectures, Warfield distinguishes between different conception...
The Spiritual Life by Andrew Murray
In this book, Andrew Murray explores the dynamics of the Christian life as Jesus means it to be lived. He explains how the Holy Spirit is essential to...
The Poverty of Philosophy by Karl Marx
This work is a scathing criticism of the economic and philosophical arguments of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's The Philosophy of Poverty.
The Wonders of the Invisible World, and A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New England Witches by Cotton Mather
In a world shrouded in superstition and fear, Cotton Mather's "The Wonders of the Invisible World" and "A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New Eng...
Garcia Moreno, President of Ecuador 1821-1875 by Augustine Berthe
Gabriel Gregorio Fernando José María García y Moreno y Morán de Buitrón (1821–1875) was an Ecuadorian politician who twice served as President of Ecua...
Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther by Martin Luther
"Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther" presents a fascinating compilation of the profound conversations and insights shared by the renowned...
A Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope by Philipp Melanchthon
The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (1537) (Latin, Tractatus de Potestate et Primatu Papae), The Tractate for short, is the seventh Luth...
Reviews for A Confession
No reviews posted or approved, yet...