A Philosophical critique of the Marxist utopia through Dostoevsky’s notes from underground
Date
2025
Authors
Muthomi, K.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
Going back to antiquity to the present, men have dreamed of an ideal state that provides the necessary conditions for the flourishing of universal happiness. From the biblical Garden of Eden to Xenophon’s Krypoaedia and Plato’s Republic, men have advanced the notion of the ideal state purposely designed to assure mankind eternal bliss. The 19th Century witnessed utopian narratives that sought to situate utopia within the course of history as the final act. The course of history would culminate in a utopian society. The construction of utopia entails the total subordination of society to human will. This refers to man's capacity to dominate his external environment and exert conscious rational control over his external environment. The realization of utopia will usher in the kingdom of freedom. The unity of mankind would be restored as human individual existence would be reconciled with human species essence. However, what started as the promise of collective earthly salvation degenerated into tyranny. The conscious striving to implement the perfect future edifice led to totalitarianism. Unrestricted freedom quickly transformed into unrestricted despotism. This research examines The Communist Manifesto in relation to Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground. The analysis aims to establish a correlation between Dostoevsky’s ideas and the unethical malevolence of The Communist Manifesto. The Manifesto’s utopian character is based on its advancement of a visionary system of social perfection. The analysis is based on the form of existentialism known as the anarcho-psychological tradition.
Description
Full - text thesis
Keywords
Citation
Muthomi, K. (2025). A Philosophical critique of the Marxist utopia through Dostoevsky’s notes from underground [Strathmore University]. http://hdl.handle.net/11071/15984