This is a quote often attributed to Doestoevsky. Apparently, he didn't write or say it. David E. Cortesi has tracked down its origins to Jean Paul Satre who seemingly inadvertently attributed it to Doestoevsky:
So, if anyone wants to quote this saying, perhaps it would be better to write: 'As Doestoevsky didn't say ...'
"The existentialist...finds it extremely embarrassing that God does not exist, for there disappears with him all possibility of finding values in an intelligible heaven....Dostoevsky once wrote, 'If God did not exist, everything would be permitted...Unfortunately, he couldn't find a source for Satre's quote!
So, if anyone wants to quote this saying, perhaps it would be better to write: 'As Doestoevsky didn't say ...'
I have the phrase highlighted in my copy of "Brothers K." Here's a link that talks about it: http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/andrei_volkov/dostoevsky.html
ReplyDeleteHi Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link and thanks for dropping by.
Sure thing. Thanks for your work on this blog.
ReplyDelete