“Good People Are Idiots” | Dostoevsky’s The Idiot

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Go to ground.news/unsolicited to understand how different perspectives shape our worldview. Save 40% on the Ground News unlimited access Vantage plan with my link. LINKS AND CORRECTIONS Support me on Patreon here: patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?Link& Sign up to my email list for more philosophy to improve your life: forms.gle/YYfaCaiQw9r6YfkN7

[@lunarmoon4596]

Thank you

[@gamermapper]

Hey, are you interested in learning Russian? I'm a Russian speaker and I think more people should learn it especially to read books like Dostoevsky

[@micahchatham8364]

Myshkin seems to not have reflected on his kindness effects along the way, rather was drawn to be a martyr for his beliefs, therefore propelled by his self-centered super ego. Which lacks honesty and environmental awareness, of simplifying ones modus operandi, it seems he could have maneuvered with honesty and learning how those particular games were played. my opinion/take. Well done and great video.

[@bunsenn5064]

Nice guys finish last. But truly kind people don’t need to start or finish, they can just enjoy other people for the people they are.

[@nostalji93]

"nice guy" is just appearance. Kindness doesn't need to appear nice. Like parents who put up boundries for their children acting out of care and not tyranny.

[@killerbait8240]

Nice doesn't mean good.... Cinema therapy on the movie megamind explains it well

[@QuintessentialJenesequa-u5o]

If you look up the definition of nice, it is to basically be foolish. I have been too nice many times in my life to my own detriment. And a friend showed the definition to me. I'm still kind, but I'm more wise about it and not just thinking of others. So many bad things will happen to you when you're this way. Because most are the opposite. Doesn't turn out well...

[@WaifusAreReal]

but people are... ick

The real question is how much of that is from female selection.

[@Blueman0975]

WE MAKIN IT OUT OF THE ASYLUM AND GOING BACK IN WITH THIS ONE 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Haha! A quick trip to Switzerland

[@yourdad5227]

Well I had plans…until unsolicited advice dropped a 1 hour long Dostoyevski video.

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Haha! It is a long one today

[@yourdad5227]

@@unsolicitedadvice9198 Really enjoy the videos, high quality content. Keep it up!

[@darkrebel123]

If this were how university professors taught literature and philosophy, then students would actually want to attend.

[@hazielpax2290]

he's my unofficial long term professor at this point

[@nina156x3]

klla

[@TaoHanabi]

I love how you mentioned that reading "The Idiot" made you kinder. That's the same thing that happend to me. Myshkins beauty is truly transformative! I find it amazing how persuasive Dostoevsky is. He convinces less with arguments than with beauty.

[@ПетърВасилев-в4ы]

Yes man i totally agree with you eve though i have not red The Idiot. Crime and punishment and Karamazov Brothers were truly transformative for me. There are so many lessons to be learned by Dostoyevski.

[@DartNoobo]

Why not learn from the teacher Dostoevsky himself was taught by? ​@@ПетърВасилев-в4ы

[@randy9680]

For some reason your "have a wonderful day" seems actually genuine and not just a closing statement! I hope your day is even better!

[@joshuasheets9236]

It’s the accent. lol jk

[@jaughnekow]

have a wonderful day

[@Ezekial-k9r]

​@@jaughnekowhave a day. Fair to middling. Meddlin middles

[@MZIH]

Respect to those who watched till the end and understood

[@kokomanation]

I prefer being a nice person more than all the benefits in the world .There is beauty in morality

[@hazielpax2290]

You will be challenged. Try to remember this.

[@zb5902]

Yeah. even if everything blows up in your face, if you really did do your best to do the right by people, as you understood it. I think that's really worth something.

[@kokomanation]

@@zb5902 I want to be the best me that I can be but I really believe that the really bad people in society are a minority in terms of percentage and statistics.And I would never like to be like them

[@WorldKeepsSpinnin]

​@kokomanation all you need to do is become smarter. Theres no need to stop being nice, or kind to others. Simply if people try to manipulate you, dont let them. Catch them beforehand. Be careful of who you trust. Etc. Its just like with romantic relationships. If 10 relationships fail and you got your heartbroken cheated on etc you need to change your approach and start looking for the right people and truly observing others. Not falling for a facade. Be smarter, more observing, and critical of others. Find those worthy of your kindness and dont just hand it out to anyone, and always be willing to take it away from those who abuse it.

[@aphelios7852]

I like this I would not want to be exploited but still try to be nice​@@WorldKeepsSpinnin

[@tbobtbob330]

I think I'm slightly autistic, so I really identified with the Idiot when I read it. Like the protagonist, I could never really understand it when people weren't just honest about their feelings, motivations, and intentions. I had to learn that people go to great lengths to craft their public perception.

[@non_complete]

I just watched this in one sitting. God, my brain feels happy and my heart soothed. Always love your dostoyevsky analysis videos.

[@DC1_]

Just finished reading Crime and Punishment and found it very rich, do you recommend this as my next read ?

[@LLKWriter]

⁠@@DC1_this might be controversial, but I’d actually recommend White Nights first! After The Idiot, you should read Demons. I don’t have a strong opinion on the chronology of all his other writings. There’s different opinions on this, but that’s the order I wish I read them in

[@dani9196]

I think about a quote in mind that seems fitting to the question that Dostoevsky raises. "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said". - Voltaire

[@redline841]

Autism and Gamers getting oppressed

[@Blueman0975]

I am actually glad that you announced you were making this in your last video. It gave me motivation to finish the book, as at that time I was on page 520 and there was 40 more pages that I finished just in time before this video released

[@sambhavkapoor26]

How was the book?

[@teaMmMate]

​@@sambhavkapoor26 Great book and an important read if you re a "nice guy"

[@user-wt6wv7xd2t]

my family was saved during finnish civil war 1918, only because only manor house worker came to warn my great grand parents that the russian backed red rebel army is approaching...he did this only because the manor owners had threated him and all the workers well. so kindness sometimes can save your life.

[@DeannaClark-oo9ut]

That scenario was common after the American Civil War.....Golden Rule slave owners, and there were some, were not abandoned because they never sold off family members at all. Their slaves stayed to bring in the harvest of 1865 and remained on what they thought as home. Most stayed as hired workers. The cruel plantations of the deep south were abandoned and left to rot and the northern syndicates that owned them tanked.

[@user-wt6wv7xd2t]

@@DeannaClark-oo9ut kindness is more important thing than anyone can imagine.

[@musamusashi]

As i recently got into Dostoevsky, i've been watching several video breakdowns and analysis: yours are by far the most intellectually honest, philosophically rich and thought provoking i've encountered so far. Keep up the good works, you've got a new subscriber.

[@EliaAurel2561]

The sentence: “viewing ourselves through the eyes of other people” really hit me, because I experience it to be true almost under any circumstances in my current life. To many things of our behavior are controlled by valuation and values implied by others, that’s also why the global mainstream only grows thicker and thicker roots over time

[@DirkMcGirken]

There is nothing I want more than to listen to you dig into this for the next hour but I'm currently reading The Idiot and I want my interpretation to be my own. I will be back to listen and share my own insights!

[@JreneMay-xi9xq]

I had the same issue. I've finally finished it, so I'm watching the video now, haha.

[@drjay182]

I read "the idiot" years ago. This amazing video essay has shown me I need to re-read it. The way you deliver your interpretations explain themes in the book I didn't catch when I had read it. This video is amazing, and I will definitely re-watch it so the information can sink in more Thanks for the amazing video!

[@hypergraphiac]

I do think there is an aspect of Myshkin you are overlooking, I do believe (and I am a big fan of Dostoyevsky and am a Russian speaker) that the author had more than the “beautiful man who becomes ruined by society despite his kindness” narrative in the novel, there is another level to the character and the message there to find. When it comes to Myshkin and his kindness and inability to really understand how to operate within society, the message I can read between the lines is - Myshkin still is responsible, no matter his lack of skill (which isn’t exactly just his fault, he was kept away from society because of his illness and just his past as it is) to be a part of society, for his actions within that society. And he makes a lot of grave and tragic mistakes and isn’t free from responsibility despite the fact that it is not fully only his fault that he is not exactly able to operate in the society in ways as it is expected or “right” or “good”.

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Oh I definitely agree that there is an aspect of that as well - I touch upon it a lot more later in the video :)

[@hypergraphiac]

I got to that part now and I have to say I disagree that it is a Machiavellian view of The Idiot, there is this cultural level of understanding within Russian culture where “the idiot” is the person who isn’t aware of his own self, which often Myshkin falls into like a pit, which isn’t what he brings about on his own, I think this is where the genius of Dostoyevsky shines for me - the idea of “good” isn’t as simple and clear as just “kindness”, it is much deeper than that. It’s a very interesting view on “goodness”, much more evolved than thinkers of the same time wrote about in literature in other parts of the world. It’s a longer conversation that doesn’t work out in comments. :)

[@Some_odd_guy]

I wonder what would happen if Dostoyevsky added another „good” character to the book to even out the scales. Because the presence of evil and hopelessness is more than evident within the set of characters we are given.

[@marocat4749]

It also seemed to be highly autobiographic and he project a lot of himself, because he was that kind of guy. He even worlked endlessy to work off a relatives debt, because thats the person Dostoyecsky does. He even came in conflict twice and getting banned despinte no revolutionary intentions whatever. So he kinda talks about himself and society and how its still worth, and given he had the funeral of a king, yeah that had an effect.

[@HarmonicRezolution]

The gain of being 'good/kind' is the inner world. They are rarely seperable, and as we spend the vast majority of our personal existence with ourselves, being good/kind makes existance way more pleasant than the material trappings of being an asshole.

[@sordidknifeparty]

So many people claim to hold Jesus Christ in such high admiration, yet almost never will you meet someone who practices the sort of radical forgiveness and radical generosity that he wanted people to practice.

[@willytv3067]

Real We are literally chasing perfection as we try to be like Jesus. All too often we fall short and need to make changes

[@DavidSmith-cr7mb]

I think most people generally fail to understand what forgiveness as a whole really means spiritually, and why Jesus internalizing humanities sin and us being forgiven for it, is a huge thing (for baptists at least...)

[@joshuasheets9236]

“Even your Buddha and your Christ had quite a different vision, but nobody’s paid much attention to them. Not even the Bhuddists or the Christians.”

[@archiewall124]

Isn’t that the whole point of Christian doctrine?

[@davysnave1903]

​@@willytv3067yeah most Christians don't even try though

[@antonivsfortis]

No good deed goes unpunished

[@KhawlaKasmi]

I'm so happy i came across this! it's best when unsolicited advice uploads on Dostoevsky

[@davidbarrera7]

You are the only KZbinr for which I can click a video that I’m not really interested in but I still stay till the end. Your “worst” videos are still so far and above regular KZbin. Thank you for sharing knowledge in this age of stupidity

[@reikyfoxxe1847]

“If the man who lays down his life for his friends is cherished by god above all, how much nobler must it be, to lay down ones soul for all of mankind” -Me 2024 as I sit on the toilet watching this video

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Great job in summing up a very complicated book! I also found the best part of the book to be the way it makes you reassess what the good and loving thing to do is in various situations. Is it good that the Prince knowingly allows himself to be scammed? Is it good to offer your whole life to rescue a person you have just met from their own self destruction? My second favorite part is Dostoevsky's honesty in how this view of what love is plays out in the real world. I think this honesty is what for me reveals one of the most important conclusions The Idiot displays about what perfect love must be, though I'm not sure if it was intended or not. That is that perfect love cannot bow to the demands of what others want it to be. For example, it was perfect self sacrificing love when the Prince offered to marry Nastasia, but it was not good to cater to Nastasia's whims when it meant causing harm to others with full knowledge that it would not ultimately save Nastasia either. The person being loved is the one that needs to surrender, giving themself up to being changed by love. It doesn't work the other way around. Perfect love could be offered to Nastasia, but as soon as the prince allowed his love to be driven by her demands it started delivering corrupt results, practically transforming into hate toward others. There are a lot of implications tied up in this, not just for how we offer love to others, but also how we accept love ourselves. How often do we imagine that it would be good for love to contort itself to our corrupt demands?

[@j0nnyism]

Yea narratively I found it a bit messy and labyrinthine. It held together well Thematically though

[@aljosacebokli]

As someone who never got to read these books (Ironically, I was named after one of the Karamazov brothers, according to my mum), these kinds of videos are a priceless window into understanding these classics of world literature - thank you!

[@laughing121619]

Alexey is a nice name

[@grimofchaosrip7331]

I love Dostoevsky!!! I just finished his book white nights....shit broke my damn soul

[@daymenpollet4202]

Congratulations on making this massive video. Must have been a lot of hard work.

[@urlovekir]

i read the title as "why guys finish fast" 💀

[@retr0-x9o]

Lol. Now that's funny 😂

[@mundea]

goodness

[@SkipEditing]

😂😂😂

[@YassenChapkanov]

This is so premature

[@ALavin-en1kr]

More anti-Christian nonsense. So be a boar and see where that gets you; kicked out of most places I would imagine.

[@green_warlock]

59:40 This reminded me: I used to know someone that preached kindness, love, and "the positive side of things," but that never gave me hope, for I knew those ideas came from hiding a deep rooted pain instead of growing with it. All that kindness crumbled from time to time and I couldn't blame him, he was just trying his best to cope with life.

[@Fak_It]

An hour-long video of unsolicited advice is such a treat. It's uncanny how nearly all of the topics he covered apply to my life in some way.

[@azuraselenite]

I live for these longer videos! Really appreciate the fresh perspective on these books and meanings

[@_atiny7002]

thank you for the subtitles beaucause i try to up level my english and try to dvp myself through your video, thank you for your hard work

[@hankb5996]

Perfect timing I just finished reading this book and am broken

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Oh the ending hits like a ton of bricks

[@monacofrancisco1609]

just to say I respect the amount of work you put into your videos

[@anggeorgievska]

Always enjoying your videos, it feels like I am listening to a dear friend breaking down deep philosophical topics. Keep it going please!

[@nai1729]

mannn i just know in the future hundreds of years from now people will look back at your videos in awe

[@Moodymuse60]

I love this channel. Thank you for your continuous work to upload to KZbin so I can enjoy❤

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Ah thank you for watching them!

[@daymenpollet4202]

Yes. Look at all this work we got in a 1 hour vid. Amazingly researched and well read.

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

"Only the strong go crazy, the weak just go along" - Assata

[@carolfontaine8993]

Brilliant and I've been reading Dostoyevsky for 50 years my favorite author and yours is the truest most geniuine interpretation

[@Андреич-с4н]

yes, Dostoyevsky is real genius in getting inside human soul and shatter it from inside. Question is if one needs to read him? It does not make you better, it sends you into depression and pessimism

[@ughlwtmechangerhisthabks8349]

I can’t begin to express how much I love this channel. Brilliant.

[@_RCL_Subject-n17]

I watched the video twice….. it’s one of those that you wished you could leave something more than a like… i’m an idiot as well… and life just keeps hurting me… I’ll probably end mad as well, but I don’t know how to live another way… i can only hope that someday… some of my sacrifices will have some good outcome… thank you for your hard work and for a great presentation

[@keenansmith-b3f]

The best timing I finished this novel a week ago! Amazing analysis brother

[@ВладБольшаков-б4о]

Your pronunciation is exceptionally good bro, don't worry (from Saint Petersburg, by the way❤)

[@66rowrow]

I read the Idiot a couple of years ago and this was a wonderful way of revisiting it's themes and subjects. I applaud presentation and the insight you gave me through the different lenses of analysis.

[@triplea657aaa]

Dostoevsky is truly a divine inspiration.

[@Seelenfresser51]

Finally caved in and clicked on one of your videos, youtube has been lambasting me an my feed with your content. Guess i shouldve done so sooner, love me some Dostoevsky

[@objectreborn.artsewing]

Bro, over an hour? *makes tea and settles in* ... You dropped so many seeds of truth in this one, Joe. It was excellent. 🍉✌️

[@OliviaKenoyer-qm3oz]

If you’re gonna be nice you gotta be tough

[@jordybpeterson9046]

Love this! Thank you so much! Now I want to read all his work.

[@Lady-in-Red]

You made this hour fly by! I got to finish my tea to this long video. Your idea of each character representing a type of love makes a lot of sense. I never thought of it that way before. It's interesting that Dostoyevsky titled it The Idiot, like he knew what the world would think of Prince Myshkin.

[@jakolisfinard6988]

I can’t elaborate on how much I needed to see this. Been a tough week

[@pauliewalnuts2727]

Really amazing video mate- really helped me unlock the power of the novel- I felt lost at times and that things were going over my head so immensely grateful this video coincided with me finishing The Idiot

[@corrinofhoshidoandnohr9465]

I think I cried a little bit somewhere in the middle watching this cuz of how touching to me the ideas were. Loved the vid!

[@deliagabrielaion3060]

What a lovely analysis ❤. Smart, insightful and touching, all at the same time 👏👏👏👏🩷🩷🩷

[@to.pacheco]

with this video i just remembered a quote you mentioned before: "Can you ever trust a weak man?"

[@frostyglass3738]

Something makes me think that you cannot simply be yourself and stay alive at the same time because of some people's inability to understand the gravity of their actions which doesn't relieve them from social norms at the same time

[@mauigonz]

Ahahah, my last gf was too kind She would help people that were going through a tough time even though she was having a horrible one By the time I got to her It was a bit late, I tried doing damage control, but her best friend offed themselves and blamed her. She isolated herself and cutted me off from her life I tried to reach out but It was useless. Truly, I loved that "idiocy" as Dostoevsky says

[@MM-kc2bw]

This is truly incredible. The highest form of modern art and thank you for your work.

[@ChangedNames]

I've planned on reading The idiot for quite sometime but didnt get the chance. I feel like its one of the few "popular" books that I can empathize with. thank you for the video

[@Kaylos29]

I need to read this now. I do believe it's possible to be kind with wisdom, to treat everyone with dignity and decency. Yet, being a savior is most of the times is not a kindness. I believe it takes practice and mistakes to learn effective kindness without compromising your principles.

[@darkrebel123]

I haven't watched this video yet, just clicked onto it. But I just have to say, I get excited as hell every time I see a new one of your FD videos. FD is my favorite author by miles, and there is a severe scarcity of discussion to be found on the internet. It makes me so happy to see more people discussing him. Edit: You should be teaching some kind of university literature classes. You have a talent.

[@fbi299]

What a fantastic video and analysis. I just finished the idiot on Thursday and wasn't certain what way I felt. Initially I was deflated, taking a more pessismistic view towards the lessons of the novel. Very glad to hear your take and that of the authors you referenced. Thanks for the upload and look forward to future ones!

[@seniorss_1]

This video taught me so much, I'm gonna rewatch it many many times in the future, Specially after I find the time to actually read the 'Idiot'. Thank you man❤. Thank you♥️.

[@bunnybean18]

Your channel is so informative, passionate, and comforting. Thank you for all your hard work! 😊❤

[@ahmetdogan5685]

Real nice guys never finish. They go on eternally.

[@lilmykes]

You’ve quickly become my favourite KZbin content creator upon discovery, profound respect. Very insightful videos!

[@tomiekawakami460]

For anyone wondering, the og title was "Why nice guys finish last"

[@freezeblizz]

Such a fantastic video and amazing way of explaining. Beautifully written and spoken by you, I’m sure you worked really hard to make this video. I watched the entire thing in one sitting and it really warms my heart. ❤️ Thank you

[@JreneMay-xi9xq]

Thanks for highlighting the religious elements to dostoevsky's writing. I thought it was lacking until now.

[@fringster]

I literally just finished the novel and this showed up on my feed, a video from three days ago a great coincidence!

[@Shelbyliebert]

I am om page 50 in the idiots, but the academic session has started Thank you, you saved my time, i can how watch the remaining 600 pages

[@zah936]

You are so kind and intelligent. This is the only sane view I have seen on this novel.

[@Mmmmommy-kk4nq]

Love this… it is an ongoing struggle for me

[@hungrymusicwolf]

Wow, just wow. This was by far your best work yet (at least of the nearly half that I have watched).

[@Oliver-by1gl]

what you said at the end made me think and all i can say is: there is no cruelty without kindness and vice versa we need characters like that to have morality comparison if we were all kind or all cruel we would never know the other side

[@YouCanCallMe-X]

You nailed the points. Thx for the video

[@BehappyBhairava]

Weird as it is, this is by far my favourite novel of Dostoevsky's and yes, it was worth it.. also makes me like pieter bruegel's painting of the same that bit more aha. I used to read his on the train, or street regularly.. love it

[@dorianrammer]

I absolutely love your content and am always excited to see your new uploads. So happy I came across your channel some months ago!

[@yubelyuki661]

Why does Myshkin remind me of Vash the Stampede? I never read this book, but this unreserved kindness for everyone reminds me of Vash from "Trigun Stampede", who is often asked by all characters 'whose side he is really on' when he tries to help enemies and friends alike on a desert planet where resources are sparse. It is literally a 'dog eat dog'-world, yet Vash tries to help people even when they eventually betray him. He wants to save everyone regardless, and several other characters all tell him to let go of his idealism because it will get him killed. Myshkin sounds just like Vash.

[@bencera6067]

Man love your vids dude. Greetings from the US

[@callmewhoever]

Thank you for this, bro. I like this book the lesst out of all the Foydor books i've read. This video made me fall in love with the book

[@twocents8355]

Be good and you'll be misunderstood some of the time. Be bad and you'll be understood all of the time.

[@squidontheside5496]

I really enjoy your content. It's always really interresting. Thanks!

[@Knaeben]

I read this about 20 years ago. I need to read it again.

[@TheRTM]

The perfect song to close out this video would've been "The Way Of The World" by Earth, Wind & Fire

[@artboettge5826]

Always love these videos, thank you for making them!

[@ThatGuySpot]

This story reminds me of the saying "the road to hell was paved with good intentions"

[@IcarusTheEagle]

Im realizing how much Forrest Gump is a retelling of this story, but with the common American happier endings. Myshkin is Forrest, Nastasia is Jenny, the depressed fellow is like Lt. Dan, etc. while it’s not a direct copy, it’s clear that The Idiot was a main inspiration

[@FaDolati-is9dw]

I love your Dostoevsky analysis videos fr

[@zn9861]

What a great video essay, thank you!

[@robertpardinas4939]

Dostoevsky was sentenced to death for criticizing the state. He would spend four years in a Siberian Gulag awaiting his execution, which was reprieved at the last moment. He later wrote that he read "Don Quixote" once a year to help keep is faith in humanity. I have never read or heard higher praise for a any written work outside of the theological. Cervante's novel, on the surface, appears to be about an old fool who does not see the world for what it is. What it is really about is the human spirit. As Cicero wrote... "The Spirit is the true self, not our mortal form".

[@rosalba3701]

I'm reading this book now! 🤓😊

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Ah I hope you are enjoying it! There are lots of spoilers in this video so do be warned

[@rosalba3701]

@unsolicitedadvice9198 I noticed.🙉😅 I enjoyed your video nonetheless, and I look forward to the next!

[@shre4953]

I LOVE your videos so much but I need just an audio form for it too so that it can work in background while I’m travelling or something 😭😭 can you please upload these videos in podcast or audio forms as well??

[@divasmom4978]

Love this! Wow really got me thinking and I’m definitely the idiot. lol kindness always wins.

[@lizellevanwyk5927]

ooohh I've been looking forward to this! the plan is to watch your video on how to read Dostoevsky on Patreon sometime this week, then this video, then read The Idiot again. I fell madly in love with Dostoevsky as a teenager after reading this novel, so I'm curious to see what it will do to me now. but I want to do it right. :)

[@Satyaan.]

I have been crying for getting a pair of shoes until I SAW someone without feet. [my gift of Christmas to you this phrase "UNBORN MELODY"

[@xaen1692]

WOW just wow thank you for the input!

[@MeanMrMustrd]

it is considered better to die for righteousness' sake than to compromise your principles or do wrong, even if it means facing death

[@kariannecrysler640]

Oh I should definitely read The Idiot. It sounds like me lol

[@guccimane8941]

Same bruh 😭

[@gravitheist5431]

Worth waiting for ! You can fake virtue as everyone is painfully aware of, but can you fake reciprocal altruism ?

[@NoemieGodbout]

I WAS WAITING FOR THID OMG YAYAYAYAAYY THANK YOUUUU