Download My Confession By Leo Tolstoy -Alexis Marroquin

My Confession
By Leo Tolstoy
-Alexis Marroquin-
Summary
Leo Tolstoy's confession was that he found no reason in living, he questioned life.
He thought death as a perfect way to escape all these unanswerable questions. At first, he
questioned life and then wanted to answer all his questions, but they seemed so
impossible to him. He thought maybe life depends on desirable objects, such as an
expensive car, but after you get what you desire, what of that? Eventually, he believed
someone was looking over him and controlling his life to be a joke as they laughed and
enjoyed seeing him wonder about life. Tolstoy explained that everyone either lived in the
lie or saw the terrible truth, and that truth is death. He researched into science and tried to
find all the answers there but found facts of nature. With all the unanswered questions,
you might as well make your own possible meaning. He thought about faith to discover
truth. In the end, he found that if a man lived. He believed in something. If he did not
believe in anything, he must find a purpose or he must not live.
Doubts
His questions consisted of "What is the meaning of my life"--"None", "What will
come of my life?"--"Nothing", "Why des everything which exist exist, and why do I
exist?"--"Because it exists.” When he thought of faith, he asked how must I live."-"according to God's law.", "what real result will there be from my life?"--"eternal
torment or eternal bliss.", "what is the meaning which is not destroyed by death?"--"the
union with infinite God, paradise.” Tolstoy stated faith was not an evidence of things
unseen or a relation of man to man, or an agreement with what man was told.
Therefore...
Tolstoy stated that the world was something that was infinite and impossible to
understand. He believed that in faith we can find the possible meaning of life, faith is the
power of life. He tried to define faith as knowledge of the meaning of human life, if man
did not destroy himself, he lived. No one could be living without a general or their own
purpose to life. He found all humanity, working things and created life, significant. "You
cannot understand the meaning of life, do not think, live".
Philosophical View
The philosophical knowledge does not throw out anything, but only answers to
those questions that cannot be solved by it; many times does the solution remain
insoluble. Descartes began with a full doubt in everything, he rejected all knowledge
which has been taken on trust, and built everything anew on the laws of reason and
experience. Schopenhauer's answer to "What is the meaning to life" was "Life has no
meaning, it is an evil." The Brahmins, Solomon and Schopenhauer expressed life as o=o,
meaning life is nothing. Tolstoy shared many beliefs with Descartes and Schopenhauer.
Tolstoy characterized four attitudes that people have towards life:
1. Living in ignorance of the problem of the meaning of life.
2. Ignoring it and trying to attain as much pleasure as possible.
3. Admitting that life is meaningless and committing suicide.
4. Admitting that life is meaningless but continuing to live aimlessly.
Notes:
Tolstoy characterized four attitudes that people have towards life:
1. Living in ignorance of the problem of the meaning of life.
2. Ignoring it and trying to attain as much pleasure as possible.
3. Admitting that life is meaningless and committing suicide.
4. Admitting that life is meaningless but continuing to live aimlessly.
Summary:
- Leo Tolstoy questioned life and suffered from his own identity.
- He defined death as an important thought of escape of someone who questions their life.
- At first you may question yourself many questions and want to answer them but they
seem to be impossible to evaluate at times.
- Even your desires such as becoming famous, having everything you can ever have, just
become utterly unimportant.
- What are important is why you’re living and what the purpose of living is.
- At one point he believed "somebody" was watching over him and playing a cruel joke
on his stupid life, that that person was enjoying his useless purpose as a human.
- Tolstoy explained that everyone either lived in the lie or saw the terrible truth, "and that
truth is death".
- He experimented with science and tried to answer questions with those facts of nature
- With all the unanswered questions, you can say you have so many more possible
meanings
- What is faith, to discover the meaning?
- If a man lived, he believed in something, if he did not believe in something, he must
find a purpose or he must not live.
Solution:
- "The world is something infinite and incomprehensible."
- In faith we can find the possible meaning of life
- Faith was the knowledge of the meaning of human life, if man did not destroy himself,
he lived.
- Faith is the power of life
- Without faith one cannot live...
- In order for someone to be living, they must obtain a meaning to their life
- "The life of all the working masses, of all humanity, which created life, presented itself
to (Tolstoy) in its real significance."
Doubts:
- His questions consisted of
"What is the meaning of my life"--"None"
"What will come of my life?"--"Nothing"
"Why des everything which exist, and why do I exist?"--"Because it exists."
"How must I live?"--"According to God's law."
"What real result will there be from my life?"--"Eternal torment or eternal bliss."
"What is the meaning which is not destroyed by death?"--"The union with infinite God,
paradise.”
- Faith, not an evidence of things unseen or a relation of man to man, or an agreement
with what man was told
Philosophical View:
- Descartes began with a full doubt in everything, rejected all knowledge which has been
taken on trust, and builds everything anew on the laws of reason and experience, cannot
give any other answer to the question of life than what Tolstoy received, an indefinite
answer.
- Schopenhauer's answer "Life has no meaning, it is an evil."
- o=o, life is nothing, expressed by the Brahmins, by Solomon, and by Schopenhauer
- "The philosophical knowledge does not negate anything, but only answers that the
question cannot be solved by it, that for the philosophy the solution remains insoluble."