Episode #14: The Silent Kiss That Answers Everything: Dostoevsky, the Grand Inquisitor, and Why Freedom Terrifies Us — Part Three
From Subversive Orthodoxy by Travis Mullen
November 24, 2025 · 1h 11m · Season 1 · Episode 14
About this episode
The episode explores Dostoevsky's themes of freedom and authority through the lens of the Karamazov brothers and the Grand Inquisitor.
We trace Dostoevsky’s polyphonic craft through the Karamazov brothers, probe Ivan’s moral revolt, and unpack the Grand Inquisitor’s claim that people prefer miracle, mystery, and authority to freedom. A silent kiss, not an argument, becomes the counter-move to control. • polyphony as method and why it matters • Dimitri, Ivan, and Alyosha as desire, reason, and heart • Ivan’s scrapbook of atrocities and moral revolt • the Grand Inquisitor’s temptations reframed as policy • miracle, mystery, a...
People in this episode
Host: Travis Mullen
Topics covered
- Dostoevsky
- freedom
- moral revolt
- polyphony
- authority
- temptations
Keywords
- Dostoevsky
- Karamazov brothers
- Grand Inquisitor
- freedom
- moral revolt
- polyphony
- authority
- temptations
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Karamazov brothers, Grand Inquisitor
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