In This Scene from Dostoevsky's the Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov

question 12

Multiple Choice

In this scene from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov explains to his pious younger brother, Alyosha, a Christian monk, why he cannot accept God. Ivan's impediment to full devotion to God is the problem of evil. He declares that there is untold, unfathomable suffering in the world-suffering such as that of a little child who is tortured, mutilated, and murdered by a ruthless general for no reason. God allows this suffering, but no adequate justification or explanation can be given why God would permit such evil.
-The central question raised by Ivan Karamazov is:

• A) Why is there something rather than nothing?
• B) What is evil?
• C) How could a good God permit evil?
• D) What is religion for?

---

Definitions:

Mastership

The possession or demonstration of masterly skill or great proficiency.

Larger Chunks

In memory studies, this refers to the process of organizing individual pieces of information into larger, more manageable units or groups.

Basic Thinking Skills

Fundamental cognitive skills, including reasoning, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information.

Restructuring

The process of changing the organization, shape, or pattern of something, often referring to cognitive processes in psychology.