Ivan's Essay

[Lev]

Sadfireworks: Yeah, I know how that is . It gets late and "the train of thought is derailed." But no, I was talking nonsense too pretty much. I'm thinking that I've completely lost my grip on any defined conception of "extraordinary" (despite what Rinehart says) -- so I have no idea what I am saying! I think I get what you mean about the freedom of choosing to transgress or not... but it is odd (to me) to consider choosing a particular thing over any other thing more free. To be free is to simply have a choice I would think -- to be "free" to choose. I suppose I could choose to sit around and do nothing all my life and I'd be every bit as free as Napoleon (he's coming up a lot lately ). It would be interesting to go further into that even if it is straying from the topic. It seems to have something to do with this extraordinary idea even so. I guess the very premise of the "extraordinary man" is that certain choices are better than others. Only he doesn't have any real reason to believe that I suppose. Maybe you are on the right track after all... . Do you suppose a moral map is the only way that one choice could be better than another choice?

[Lev]

Rinehart: So I hit it when I was making fun of it? What strangeness . But that can't really be it! What on earth is the purpose of such a thing? How is that any different from the old lady Raskolnikov kills? If it is merely breaking accepted rules (or traditions) -- but then they just keep going in circles and that doesn't make any sense either! Ach... They can keep their extraordinary man!
But I slso wonder... are you sure this is how the people who believe this theory would describe it? Svidrigailov? Well, my train of thought is drifting about now. A new day tomorrow .