Notes from Underground: Difference between revisions

During the nineteenth century, the Russian culture became artificial because it no longer was "European". Russia's ethical, cultural, and spiritial pricipals were changing to look more like the Western culture of that time. The Russian culure was slowly moving more westward. In Russia, a man was considered "developed" and "educated" only if he was familiar with the literary and philosophical traditions of Germany, France, and England (Madden). If this was the normal view of Russia at the time, a man who based all his ideas and opinions on the Westward culture may not be perceved as smart. Philosphers such as Aristotle and Descartes influenced the Russian culture. Russia had seperated from Europe in spirit, thus living a totally different life than the rest of Europe (Kireyesky). They nearly had to destroy their national personality in order to conform to Western civiliazation (Kireyevsky). In being captavated by the west, Russian intellectuals had lost touch with the true way of the Russian life, the life that many of the peasants and lower-class workers still practiced (Madden).