”Stupid to the point of holiness.” -A Russian proverb
Voltaire’s plays showcase his massive knowledge in history of for example the Antics. He can write a play about ancient Greek events and make the characters seem close to what they arguably really were. His book Candide also shows great insight of different cultures in the world. For example his display of brutal Bulgarian fighters in this book is immemorable, also quite funny.
From reading Shakespeare’s King John there arises a desire of avenging King John for the great injustice he faces at the end of the play.
It is true that Marcel Proust wrote, in the longest novel in the world, that people from countries like Romania and Egypt share something; they both dislike the jews. Perhaps it can be argued that generalizations like this can’t apply for everyone from a country but how many can truly hold a independent train of thought? Proust might have some personal insight that drove him to this conclusion since his mother was a jewish stock clerk and he was a true supporter of Dreyfus on his case at the time (however, Marcel himself was baptized as a catholic).
From Dostoevski you can read how real philosophical thought has been implemented in clerical affairs in his showcase of Russia. Priests in his novels take the true nature of things in account in their work and advice for those in need. Love of mankind can be seen in abbot Zosima’s words in the throes of death: ”Dear Lord, please also give salvation to all the nonbelievers!” (The brothers Karamazov)
From Dostoevsky’s Crime and punishment there can be derived other things than the ethics of a crime, namely ethics of policework. The police in this novel is very keen on fair procedure of criminals (or not-truly-criminals). They follow clear train of thought and release the people who truly didn’t do anything against the law. They also care about the criminals who are truly quilty. Also, the good behavior of the criminal in the book is awarded with a lesser sentence by the court because of his good deeds in the past and his showcase of noble sentiments. Also what might happen after reading this book is that the readers tea-drinking will increase significantly.
Akseli Hänninen blog 