Francis Berger
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The Limits of Solzhenitsyn's Concept of the Line Separating Good And Evil

1/5/2021

12 Comments

 
I have nothing but the deepest respect for Alexander Solzhenitsyn, but I have recently begun to question the integrity of the following - and likely most often quoted - passage from The Gulag Archipelago.

"It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience; how a human being becomes evil and how good. In the intoxication of youthful success I had felt myself to be infallible, and I was therefore cruel. In the surfeit of power I was a murderer, and an oppressor. In my most evil moments, I was convinced that I was doing good, and I was well supplied with systematic arguments. And it was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either - but right through every human heart - and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains . . . an unuprooted small corner of evil." 
                                                                      - The Gulag Archipelago, Part 4, C. 1, The Ascent



Before going any further, I must stress that my use of integrity here refers to the completeness of Solzhenitsyn's insight, not its sincerity. Despite the ridiculous claims of some communist apologists, I have never doubted Solzhenitsyn's honesty, nor his strong moral and Christian principles. At the same time, I understand that, for many, the mere notion of criticizing or questioning anything the prophet recorded is akin to blasphemy. After all, who am I to scrutinize wisdom wrung from such unimaginable oppression and suffering?

Well, before anyone stops reading, let me quickly and emphatically state that I believe Solzhenitsyn's pronouncement is true. More specifically, I believe it is an accurate assessment of the human experience and, unlike other assessments, it also contains a profound Christian truth. Unfortunately, the Christian truth within the passage can be easily ignored, leaving the concept of the line separating good and evil in the hearts of men susceptible to poisoned relativist interpretations that sloppily conclude that the existence of good and evil in the hearts of all human beings demands increased levels sympathy and tolerance for evil as well as the suspension of moral discernment and judgement. After all, if what Solzhenitsyn says is true, then who are we to judge?

Many Christians view judgement as the Achilles' heel of their faith. Within this framework, the limits of Solzhenitsyn's "line separating good and evil passage" from The Gulag Archipelago become readily apparent. We are all sinners, and we are all capable of both great good and unimaginable evil. As such, we should demonstrate forbearance in our judgement, think twice before casting stones, and practice restraint in our condemnation. 

The problem with the line separating good and evil in the hearts of men lies not in the concept itself, but in the confusion the concept generates as its oscillations blend and blur sin, virtue, vice, righteousness, morality, immorality, lawfulness, lawlessness, ethics, and a thousand other aspects of the human experience. Removed from a Christian context, the concept of the line separating good and evil becomes meaningless; the line fades and disappears. Inversions materialize. Sins are praised and rewarded; virtues, condemned and punished. Discerning good from evil becomes an act of open interpretation palm reading.  

The line passing through human hearts obscures the distinctions between the philanthropist billionaire who finances a clean drinking water project in an underdeveloped, third world country - thereby saving thousands from death and illness - but who concurrently evades paying taxes in every part of the world he does business and loses no sleep as the non-profit organizations he funds enable and support the unsubtle machinations of a global totalitarian regime that seeks to enslave all in the name of human dignity; and the foulmouthed barfly who is bigoted against foreigners, frequently gets into pointless drunken brawls, but otherwise spends the majority of his spare time tenderly caring for his elderly, invalid aunt.

Who is evil and who is good? Who knows? And who cares? After all, who are we to judge? 

Defending the Solzhenitsyn's concept of the line through the heart by focusing exclusively on contextualization - by correctly pointing out that excerpt cannot be accurately elucidated in isolation beyond the boundaries of Solzhenitsyn's massive tome - does little to mitigate the damage. Yes, Solzhenitsyn's insight is more lucid when the all three volumes of the work from which it has been extracted are taken into consideration, but who among those who tout the line/heart passage as proof of the relativity of good and evil have ever read even the first volume of The Gulag Archipelago to the end? And why would they bother? They relish the limits of Solzhenitsyn's observations concerning good and evil because it provides them with exactly what they need - ambiguity and doubt. 

So, is Solzhenitsyn's line dividing good and evil in the hearts of men forever lost as a profound Christian truth? Not exactly, but any effort to reclaim it requires the support of another Solzhenitsyn's dictum to serve as a premise - "Men have forgotten God; that's why all of this has happened." Beyond being an open refutation of atheism and an explanation for the disasters that befell Russia in the twentieth century, "men have forgotten God" serves to remind us of the importance of motivation, alignment, and repentance when it comes to the line dividing good and evil in the hearts of men.

One need look no further than Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment to understand the significance of motivation, alignment, and repentance when it comes to discerning the good and evil within men's hearts. In the novel, Raskolnikov is convinced of his sound and rational motivations for killing the pawnbroker Alyona Ivanova. He is a man of reason; a man of will; a man unburdened by obsolete notions of good and evil. He would be doing the world a favor by ridding it of an evil, corrupt old wretch who caused nothing but suffering. He would use the money to continue his education, become a great man, better the world. 

Raskolnikov's motivations are anything but rational, and his decision to commit the murder, which inadvertently morphs into a double murder, squarely aligns him with the side of evil. His actions put him in direct opposition to God's creation, an alignment that refuses to shift even after he confesses his crime to Sonya, who informs him that he must publicly confess and embrace his punishment for turning away from God. At the same time, Sonya responds with immense pity and promises to support Raskolnikov and not abandon him.

By the end of the novel, Raskolnikov is on the edge of true repentance and on the verge of realignment with God's creation through Christ. The bridgehead of good in which Sonya puts her faith begins to extend within him, but Sonya's faith in Raskolnikov's bridgehead of good does not imply any discounting of the inherent evil of Raskolnikov's motivations and actions. Nor does it discount the  evil of his turning away from God. In other words, her affection for Raskolnikov and her Christian faith do not obscure her discernment of evil. On the contrary, both help her refine her judgment.

The line separating good and evil that passes through the heart of every man is the revelation of a simple truth, but the simplicity of this truth is only supported when it is set against the backdrop of motivation, alignment, and repentance. A man of good motivations aligned with God's creation stands a greater chance of controlling the oscillations of good and evil within his heart. Moreover, the same man will also tend to notice when the line has slipped and seek repentance rather than excuses and rationalizations whenever he falls into sin. Conversely, a man of evil motivations inevitably chooses to side against God's creation. Once there, he will find it difficult to repent and will quickly justify his choice with excuses and rationalizations. The bridgehead of good within him must not be dismissed, but it also must not serve as a defense or justification for evil.

Many of history's greatest atrocities were committed in the name of eliminating evil in the world. The impossibility of this task reveals the most profound truth in Solzhenitsyn's concept of the line separating good and evil in the hearts of all men. This impossibility must be acknowledged, but it cannot serve as justification for the tolerance and acceptance of evil motivations. Nor should it serve to blind us to the reality of those who actively and unrepentantly choose to work against God's creation. Yes, even in the darkest of hearts, the small bridgehead of good exists, just as the unuprooted corner of evil exists in the very best of hearts, but whether the line passing over the heart oscillates toward or away from either of these depends almost exclusively on a person's motivation, alignment, and capacity for repentance - that is, on an person's active and conscious choice to side with good or evil.

And now that things have reached the point, these are not only simpler to discern, but simply must be discerned. 


Note added: This post was partly inspired by Bruce Charlton's clarifying remarks on the subject of motivation, alignment with creation, and repentance.  
12 Comments
bruce charlton
1/6/2021 12:20:05

I suppose S. was making more than one point in that quote. The first is that the proper 'unit' of morality is the individual not any group.

Beyond that - I probably don't agree with what he is saying. I can't really make any helpful sense of a heart being composed of good and evil divided by a line which may oscillate over time. So much of that aspect of good and evil is innate or circumstantial (environmental) and it's not clear what we can really do about it.

It becomes a bit of a paradoxical bootstrapping procedure to try to be more good. And mostly the result seems to be that people get better in one aspect of life at the cost of getting worse in other respects.

Christian converts don't necessarily (or even usually) get more-good (whatever that might mean) as a result of their conversion.

As you know, I find it much clearer to think of good and evil as sides in a spiritual war. Perhaps, the heart of someone who takes the Christian side will also become more-good; but maybe it will continue oscillating, and contain evil, much as before; but this time the Christian will know that he sins, and repents of it.

Whether he can significantly act on his repentance to behave better is again partly a matter of the Christian's innate character, and partly circumstances (e.g. how much compulsion is brought to bear on him).

Reply
Francis Berger
1/6/2021 14:54:08

@ Bruce - I feel much of the confusion inherent in concepts like S.'s line/heart is rooted in Russian Orthodoxy. I struggle to come to terms with these lines of thinking myself, which is why I decided to explore one in a post.

I found I could only make sense of line/heart within the framework of motivation, alignment and repentance. If an individual starts with evil motivations, then actively chooses to side with evil, and finally, refuses to repent - perhaps even refuses to acknowledge his choices - then that person is clearly on the wrong side and will likely remain there.

As far as I understand it through writers like Dostoevsky, Russian religious consciousness is heavily invested in the belief that no one, no matter how evil, no matter how misaligned, no matter how firmly entrenched on the side of evil is beyond redemption. A small bridgehead of good remains regardless - and that bridgehead can extend if the individual chooses to turn back to God. The same holds true in reverse for individuals on the side of Good. This does not imply that evil or good should not be discerned or that people should not be judged, but rather speaks to what I would call 'the divine potential in all people' and a sense of humility about our own limited sense of judgement.

But once again, this only makes sense to me within the framework of motivation, alignment, and repentance (choosing sides) - which modern materialist-atheists downplay or ignore.

Thinkers like S. certainly believed that the individual was the proper unit of morality, and this is another thread in Russian Christian thinking. One concept I have a really difficult time wrapping my head around is "everything is responsible for everyone and everything", which is one of the central themes of The Brothers Karamazov. On the surface, it is a clear impossibility. I have only been able to approach it from the individual perspective - that is, that every action and thought an individual has ultimately influences everyone and everything . . . but that's as far as I've gotten with that one!

I once read somewhere (I may have the details wrong here) that Russians would gather before an execution and wail and lament and ask the condemned to forgive them for their sins as he was led to the gallows. An acute sense of one's own guilt and susceptibility to evil runs through a great deal of nineteenth-century Russian thinking. Unfortunately, materialist-atheists have been able to exploit this with spectacular results in much the same manner they have been able to exploit many of the messages in the Gospels.

Reply
Francis Berger
1/6/2021 15:29:48

@ Bruce - Having written that wall of text, I would just like to add that my reason for the post stems mostly from my own personal need to simplify and clarify some of the concepts of Christian thinkers and writers. Many of these concepts have simply been adopted without much scrutiny. So many commonly held beliefs have been distorted, inverted, or misunderstood. Many others stem from a level of consciousness that, in my mind, now sorely needs to be transcended.

Ann K.
1/6/2021 16:50:04

Yes—that is the Christian doctrine, specifically Eastern Orthodox.

We believe we are made in the image and likeness of God. We spend our lives seeking to regain God’s likeness through the process of theosis, but never lose His image.

As Christians, we pray for the forgiveness and salvation of all—those who love us and those who hate us.

After all, God Himself never abandons us, even when we choose to exist in hell.

Ann K.
1/6/2021 16:53:42

This might be helpful: https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/glory2godforallthings/2008/08/04/solzhenitsyn-and-where-the-battle-begins/

Reply
Francis Berger
1/6/2021 18:22:06

Thank you kindly, Ann. Very much appreciated.

Reply
bruce charlton
1/7/2021 09:13:56

I began-to-become Russian Orthodox back in 2010, as you may now - and I have a great affection for it. But I came to believe that it is actually broken - by its own understanding - since 1917. Orthodoxy is not possible in the world today - lacking a Tsar and an Orthodox society, what remains is 'just a religion' and not a way of life.

Also, I realise that the Russian character and destiny are different from that of England.

Anyway - my conclusion was that we can learn from it and appreciate it - but we can't Do it.

At a deeper level, I regard Orthodoxy as (like all other mainstream Christian denominations) captured by metaphysical assumptions I regard as wrong - in this case a Platonic idea of reality as in Heaven and earthly mortal life as Only a trial and without genuine necessity or positive need.

This leads to the 'double-negative' way of thinking, being and living - the purpose of mortal life being avoidance of sin. I know that in fact a great deal more was done by Orthodox civilizations in a positive way (beauty in particular, plus great courage) but I find this incoherent with the principles.

Anyway, I am rambling...

Reply
Francis Berger
1/7/2021 11:08:42

@ Bruce - Like you, I'm a firm believer that Christianity needs to evolve beyond what it has become - just a religion - and return to being a way of life. But this return cannot entail returning to a way of life Christianity once was, in all of its various forms. If Christianity remains just a religion, it will ultimately fail, as is readily apparent today with most churches, many of which have chosen to side with the System. If Christianity were to revert back to some one of its former manifestations as a way of life, it would also ultimately fail because it would be taking a step backward rather than a step forward. The way forward requires a new revelation, and it is upon this that the way of life should be constructed.

This is a very delicate matter, and I often find myself in hot water with variety of traditionally-minded Christians who visit these pages. They regard this approach to Christianity as either misguided or heretical. For many, the very notion of a new way forward amounts to little more than a denigration of the past and present. Nothing could be further from the truth, in my mind. After all, who among us regards adulthood as a denigration of childhood?

Like you, I have the deepest respect for traditional forms of Christianity and draw much from them. I do not aim to disparage any tradition. Nor do I aim to disparage the followers of these traditions. On the contrary, I wish to form affiliations with all of them. At the same time, I cannot blind myself to the obvious limits of these traditions. Moreover, I cannot blind myself to what these limits reveal and should prompt us to do.

Christians from all denominations have run up and are continuing to run up against these limits all the time. Unfortunately, most do not know how to handle them and become disillusioned. Many end up abandoning not only their churches, but also Christ. Unfortunately, no church that I know of has been able to offer a viable solution for this grave development, which again points to the obvious limits of institutional Christianity in this time and place.

Christianity needs to become a way of life again, but the churches will likely not play a major role in inspiring this transformation. Something else is required.

Anyway, now I'm rambling . . .

Reply
Howard Sutherland
1/7/2021 17:47:21

I’m not convinced of the truth of all their doctrines, but the church I see that is consistently keeping Christianity a way of life for its members is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
That’s a bit ironic for me, as for many years I wasn’t entirely sure Mormons are Christians. They are.
Dr. Charlton has studied Latter-day Saint Christianity extensively; I wonder if he would agree.

Reply
Francis Berger
1/8/2021 21:07:27

@ Howard - I can't speak for Dr. Charlton, but I agree that Mormons generally maintain a Christian way of living. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is also far less converged than other churches; however, from what I've been told, signs of convergence are popping up.

Reply
Heather Shaler
1/8/2021 19:54:42

Great post. I've been pondering this very quote all year. As SK Orr has written, different church groups develop their own versions of Christianese, and the Christianese spoken in my social circles involves throwing around a lot of S. quotes. I hear this particular one all the time. It is a good line, and I get it - it's about focusing on your own sins, rooting out the evil in your own heart. The problem I've observed is that it almost becomes an excuse for not noticing evil, or explaining it away. I noticed this before 2020, and the birdemic response from my acquaintances who are fond of S. quotes just confirms it.

I much prefer Bruce's "things are coming to a point." There's a spiritual war going on. We need to discern good and evil, and decide which side we're on. The S quote is like a soldier during wartime saying, "Well there's a bit of patriot and a bit of traitor in all of us. I'm going to sit down and ponder all the ways I'm like a traitor," while the real traitor openly betrays him. An effective soldier would have discerned the evil going on around him.

Reply
Francis Berger
1/8/2021 21:02:42

@ Heather - Great comment.

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