The problem of choice in the life of the author and of the characters of the novel Demons

The paper is devoted to clarifying the sense and meaning of a paradoxical statement of F.M. Dostoevsky, who said that he would prefer “to stay with Christ rather than truth”. He expressed this idea in 1854 in a letter to N.D. Fonvizina. This idea was reproduced in his “Demons” novel, in a dialogue between Shatov and Stavrogin. In the novel, truth epitomizes science, the external world of the human being, whereas Christ represents the world of his/her internal life. And every person realizes his/her choice between the values of these worlds. Characterizing this choice, the author of the paper turns to the work “The Will to Believe” by William James, according to whom, a choice is true when it “belongs to the category of living, necessary and important”, that is, when it contributes to achieving harmony in the person’s life. The problem of harmony turns out to be central in the human being’s life as in the choice between truth and Christ. Setting off science against religion by the characters of “Demons” leads to disharmony of their life, to social conflicts. The way of their resolution in the XIX century was seen by many, including Slavophils, “in the requirement of larger rapprochement of religion with the lives of people and nations” (I.V. Kireevsky). Indeed, the harmony of the external and internal worlds of the believer's life is possible if we understand the external world as the “Kingdom of God”, which “is within” the person (Luke 17: 20-21). But the values of the inner world of the person are opposed by natural goods, without which the person cannot live, and most often they were the source of conflicts. Therefore, Stavrogin’s assertion that “the goal of the entire popular movement... is exclusively the search for God...” is untenable. In the absence of God, demons can take His place in the inner world of the person. And only the involvement with a “Great Thought”, according to Stepan Verkhovensky, will save the person from demons, whereas the achievement of harmony in both worlds of human life will rescue Russia from social disturbances. This seems to be the real meaning of the “Demons” novel. In the information age, the external world overshadows the world of human inner life, and it is our task to take this threat into account. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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