Dostoevsky and Doubting Faith

Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky was a practicing Christian, and his writings often feature characters who have or find faith. But many of the most fascinating and charismatic characters are flamboyant atheists, and Dostoevsky has these characters make powerful arguments against religious belief. So what was Dostoevsky trying to do in those brilliant novels of his? Was he just confused, or did he think the best kind of faith is the doubting kind? What does that tell us about the paradox of freedom, the fate of morality, and the problem of suffering? And why do Dostoevsky’s novels have such a profound impact, even today, on readers Christian and non-christian alike? Josh and Ray have no doubt about Garry Hagberg from Bard College, author of Living in Words: Literature, Autobiographical Language, and the Composition of Selfhood.