Cosa intendeva Dostoevskij per ateismo?

What had Dostoyevsky in mind when he spoke about “atheism”? Atheism is one of the main topics of Dostoyevsky’s work, particularly during the period that goes from The Idiot till The Brothers Karamazov, his last novel. All heroes of his main novels have direct or indirect connections with matters of faith and atheism. Some of them are described by the author himself as otritsáteli (deniers/refutators). That’s the case, in the first place, of Kiríllov (Demons) and Ivan Karamazov. There are also a significant number of atheist supporting characters, whose frivolous behaviour and superficial opinions greatly differentiates them from the exquisite ideas conveyed by Ivan and other ‘deeper’ atheists. The objective of the present article is to show that the word ‘atheism’ in Dostoyevsky points to two different and even contradictory positions. Ivan Karamazov’s position, in particular, reflects Dostoyevsky’s acknowledgment of the positive role of doubt in leading one to faith and truth. It also points to the possibility that the writer has gone beyond, in his religious beliefs, the traditional antinomy between theism and atheism.