Solution of the Fist

The first novel ever written about terrorism Dostoevsky's<I>The Demons</I> is also the most instructive for in it he addresses-better than any writer before or since-the two persistent riddles of terrorism: why are terrorists so new to our civilization and how is it that they can kill others so easily in the name of a political idea? As a first-generation observer of terrorism Dostoevsky came to the conclusion that this new political movement was the product of<I>modern</I> culture politics and psychology. He felt that modernity created a unique shame and humiliation that fueled terrorism. The demons that he brings to life in this novel are not fire-breathing monsters but gracious subtle cosmopolitan rational and scientific. They are also murderers rapists arsonists and terrorists.<BR /><BR />For Dostoevsky these demons were ultimately the product of cosmopolitan Paris for it was there that individuals first deified reason and thus abandoned the ancient sources of morality-the ancient Gods. By replacing the ancient with the modern gods of atheism science and liberalism modern societies have abandoned any sort of moral constraint that helped to keep violence and tyranny in check. This created the new modern nihilistic world of terrorism. <BR /><BR />If modern shame and humiliation are truly at the heart of modern terrorism twenty-first century readers can gain a clearer insight into terrorist motivations through understanding Dostoevsky's work.<I>The Solution of the Fist: Dostoevsky and the Roots of Modern Terrorism</I> aims to aid in this process through an in-depth analysis of his work and a careful explanation of the context in which nineteenth-century readers would understand it.