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Lev Shestov
42quotes
Lev Shestov: A Philosopher of Existential Crisis
Full Name and Common Aliases
Lev Isaakovich Shestov was a Russian-born philosopher who emigrated to France in 1921. He is commonly known by his pen name, Lev Shestov.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on February 12, 1866, in Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), Shestov passed away on December 18, 1938, in Paris, France.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Shestov was a Russian philosopher who later became a French citizen. He was primarily known as a philosopher, but his work also touches upon literary criticism and theology.
Early Life and Background
Lev Shestov was born into a Jewish family in Ukraine. His father, Isaac Shestov, was a merchant, and the family moved to Odessa when Lev was still young. Shestov's early life was marked by a deep interest in literature and philosophy. He studied law at the University of Odessa but eventually switched to philosophy. This shift would have a lasting impact on his intellectual pursuits.
Major Accomplishments
Shestov's philosophical work centered around the concept of existentialism, which he helped popularize in Europe. His ideas had a profound influence on 20th-century thought, particularly among French philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Shestov is best known for his critique of rationalism and his emphasis on individual freedom and responsibility.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Shestov's notable works include:
- "In Job's Balancing Column" (1909): This book is considered a seminal work in existentialist philosophy, exploring the themes of suffering, faith, and reason.
- "Potestas Clavium" (1910): This work critiques the idea that moral truths can be derived from reason alone, emphasizing instead the importance of individual choice and responsibility.
- "Athens and Jerusalem" (1938): In this book, Shestov contrasts the philosophical traditions of ancient Greece (represented by Athens) with those of Judaism (represented by Jerusalem), arguing for a more personal and intuitive approach to truth.
Impact and Legacy
Shestov's ideas about individual freedom, the limits of reason, and the importance of subjective experience have had a lasting impact on 20th-century thought. His critique of rationalism paved the way for existentialist philosophy, which emphasizes human existence as fundamentally individual and subjective. Through his work, Shestov encouraged readers to question traditional notions of truth and morality.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Lev Shestov is remembered today as a key figure in the development of existentialist thought. His critique of rationalism and emphasis on individual freedom resonated with thinkers across Europe during the early 20th century. His ideas continue to influence contemporary philosophy, literature, and culture, making him one of the most important philosophers of his time.
Shestov's impact can be seen in the way he challenges readers to think critically about their assumptions and values. Through his writing, he encourages individuals to embrace their own subjective experience and reject the constraints of traditional thought. As a result, Shestov remains widely quoted and remembered for his contributions to existentialist philosophy.
Quotes by Lev Shestov
Lev Shestov's insights on:
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After a tragedy, a farce. Philosophy enters into her power, and the earth returns under one’s feet.
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When man finds in himself a certain defect, of which he can by no means rid himself, there remains but to accept the so-called failing as a natural quality. The more grave and important the defect, the more urgent is the need to ennoble it.
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Although we had had no precise exponents of realism, yet after Pushkin it was impossible for a Russian writer to depart too far from actuality. Even those who did not know what to do with “real life” had to cope with it as best they could. Hence, in order that the picture of life should not prove too depressing, the writer must provide himself in due season with a philosophy.
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Pushkin could cry hot tears, and he who can weep can hope. “I want to live, so that I may think and suffer,” he says; and it seems as if the word “to suffer,” which is so beautiful in the poem, just fell in accidentally, because there was no better rhyme in Russian for “to die.
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If he tells the truth, it is because the most reeking lie no longer intoxicates him, even though he swallow it not in the modest doses that idealism offers, but in immoderate quantities, thousand-gallon-barrel gulps. He would taste the bitterness, but it would not make his head turn, as it does Schiller’s, or Dostoevsky’s, or even Socrates’, whose head, as we know, could stand any quantity of wine, but went spinning with the most commonplace lie.
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The thing to do is to go on, in the same suave tone, from uttering a series of banalities to expressing a new and dangerous thought, without any break. If you succeed in this, the business is done. The reader will not forget – the new words will plague and torment him until he has accepted them.
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Count Tolstoy preached inaction. It seems he had no need. We “inact” remarkably. Idleness, just that idleness Tolstoy dreamed of, a free, conscious idling that despises labour, this is one of the chief characteristics of our time.
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They certified that I was sane; but I know that I am mad.” This confession gives us the key to what is most important and significant in Tolstoy’s hidden life.
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Objectionable, tedious, irritating labour, – this is the condition of genius, which no doubt explains the reason why men so rarely achieve anything. Genius must submit to cultivate an ass within itself – the condition being so humiliating that man will seldom take up the job.
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