Page 14 - GALIET BENEATH THE ICON: The Lamp Dostoevsky´s Kirillov IV

He wants to control his own destiny, released from the chains of morals, and dwell in the horizons beyond good and evil. His thought will concur with the nihilist’s philosophy of rational egoism, which affirms that notions of “good” and “evil” are not inherent in human nature (they are taught values) and that individuals will always act in their best self-interest.12 This rational is based on the fact that individuals are naturally selfish and egocentric and benefit the most by doing what serves them best and what is most useful to their natures. Precisely because Kirillov is aware that the interest of the individual rarely coincides with society’s own interests, he asserts that killing oneself achieves absolute freedom, which infers assuming God’s omnipotent, omni-sufficient and omnibenevolent identity.
Once Man-God has “conquered pain and fear, then a new life will dawn; there’ll be a new man; everything will be new... History will be divided into two parts: from the gorilla to the destruction of God and from the destruction of God to the physical transformation of the earth and of man... all will be changed... all thoughts and all feelings”13, says Kirillov. Man- God shall therefore assume a new transforming omnipotence and omnibenevolence. Consequently, during Kirillov’s second conversation with Stavrogin, we hear his tender-hearted confession that “everything is good”, an assertion based on his
12 Rational Egoism – dictionary of philosophy 13 p. 121
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