The Grand Inquisitor: The Paths of Freedom
The Grand Inquisitor: The Paths of Freedom

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyzes the antitheistic argument of Ivan Karamazov in the context of theodicy. We focus on the chapter The Grand Inquisitor, which, as we demonstrate, represents the ultimate argumentative point of Ivan’s "rebellion" against God. Logical impossibility of justifying evil in the world leads Ivan not only to the conclusion that evil is an unerasable mark of God’s mistake appearing while making his creation (man and the world), but also that the basis of that evil is one of the most appreciated human virtues: freedom. After Alyosha introduces Christ (thesis) into an argument on theodicy, as an instance that can and has the right to forgive evil and thus cancel its effects, Ivan responds with his dialectical counterpart (antithesis): The Grand inquisitor. Synthesis in this dialectical struggle, as we demonstrate, does not lead to any logically acceptable solution. On the contrary. We are left with the paradox: freedom has, at the same time, led to theodicy and to an accusation against Christ.

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