casuistry
(en)
(noun) a resolving of specific cases of conscience, duty, or conduct through interpretation of ethical principles or religious doctrine / (noun) specious argument; rationalization
ix
is he constructing a casuistical theory to excuse his own failures?
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
is he constructing a casuistical theory to excuse his own failures?
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
Petrashevsky Circle
(en)
group of progressive-minded commoner-intellectuals in St. Petersburg in the 1840s; in 1849, members of the Circle were arrested and imprisoned, including Dostoyevsky
xv
In the spring of 1849, Dostoevsky was arrested, tried, and sentenced to Siberian prison and exile for his association with the subversive Petrashevsky circle.
uncertain
7 years, 5 months ago
In the spring of 1849, Dostoevsky was arrested, tried, and sentenced to Siberian prison and exile for his association with the subversive Petrashevsky circle.
uncertain
7 years, 5 months ago
Marxian
(en)
pertaining to Karl Marx and ideas he explicitly explored in his writings; differs from Marxist in that the latter includes ideas developed by others in the same vein of thought
xv
a pre-Marxian, non-"scientific" form of socialism commonly designated as "utopian".
on Dostoevsky's purported doctrine
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
a pre-Marxian, non-"scientific" form of socialism commonly designated as "utopian".
on Dostoevsky's purported doctrine
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
liminal
(en)
ambiguous; occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold
xviii
Dostoevsky set about the masterpiece one could call liminal
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
Dostoevsky set about the masterpiece one could call liminal
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
temerity
(en)
(noun) unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition; rashness recklessness / (noun) a rash or reckless act
xxviii
when life has the temerity to imitate literature
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
when life has the temerity to imitate literature
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
dialectic
(en)
a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned arguments
xxviii
The familiar dialectic repeats itself: dreams of love and glory, followed by fits of self-hatred, shame, and spite
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
The familiar dialectic repeats itself: dreams of love and glory, followed by fits of self-hatred, shame, and spite
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
anomie
(en)
lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group, which lessens social cohesion and fosters decline; popularized by French sociologist Émile Durkheim in his influential book Suicide
xxix
The fashionable words for this state, in the late twentieth century, are alienation and anomie
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
The fashionable words for this state, in the late twentieth century, are alienation and anomie
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
arrogate
(en)
(verb) to claim or seize without justification / (verb) to make undue claims to having; assume / (verb) to claim on behalf of another; ascribe
xxxv
unless the translator arrogates to himself the entirely inadmissible right to interpolate
confirm
7 years, 5 months ago
unless the translator arrogates to himself the entirely inadmissible right to interpolate
confirm
7 years, 5 months ago
morass
(en)
(noun) marsh swamp / (noun) a situation that traps, confuses, or impedes / (noun) an overwhelming or confusing mass or mixture
9
it will be caught up in a fatal morass, a stinking mess consisting of its own doubts and agitations
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
it will be caught up in a fatal morass, a stinking mess consisting of its own doubts and agitations
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
akimbo
(en)
(adjective or adverb) having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward / (adjective or adverb) set in a bent position
33
a brazen fop who bars your way with arms akimbo, spitting
first time seeing it in print
notable
7 years, 5 months ago
a brazen fop who bars your way with arms akimbo, spitting
first time seeing it in print
notable
7 years, 5 months ago