"What Does Man Live By?"

Five years ago, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, a gift of Russian literature to humanity, introduced the concept of 'love' in a world where humans mercilessly inflict cruelty upon one another. Although this love was not worldly, he argued that humanity's place in the universe could not be defined without faith. Tolstoy, who answered existential questions with the concept of 'faith,' sought answers in John in his work * What Men Live By *, where he posed three fundamental questions about humanity, and included numerous religious quotations. The inclusion of quotations from John in a work questioning human existence is the greatest evidence, even before reading the book, that Tolstoy would answer his philosophical questions through religion.

So, what are the three questions Tolstoy asked himself and his readers?

1. "What is it about humans?"

2. "What has not been given to man?"

3. "What does a human being live on?"

Tolstoy answers the question, "What is in man?" with a single word: "love." Perhaps the fact that the answer to his first question is love is connected to the first commandment of the Bible being "Love!" Tolstoy, who proves human existence through faith in God and Christianity, does not aim to impose love on anyone, but he wants to show that humanity should never abandon the feeling of love because, no matter what, it will exist through love. While love may seem like something easily obtained to some, being loved is as important as loving. If a person only feeds on the love they receive and does not show interest in others, they are against Tolstoy's understanding of love. With his quote from John , "For whoever does not love his brother whom he sees, cannot love God whom he does not see," he wants to emphasize that the love people show in this world is a reflection of their love for God. In the 19th century, where religion and philosophy were highly valued, it is quite clear that Tolstoy invites those who love God to also love people. His second question is, "What has not been given to man?" It serves as a tool to remind us that death is always at the door. He illustrates this in his story with a rich man who, despite dying before sunset—unaware of his impending death—asks for a pair of shoes that he can wear for a year without tearing. He criticizes the meaninglessness of people's plans for the future, pointing out that they make plans without knowing what they need. By answering the question, "Man was not given the ability to know what he needed," he emphasizes that material desires in the world are not needs. So what does man need? Tolstoy himself couldn't find a single answer to the questions he posed, expressing the fact that everyone's individual needs are unknown with the words, "I understood that God does not want people to live separately; therefore, He does not reveal to each individual what they need. Because He wants them to live together, He shows them all what they and others need." Finally, he answers the question, "What does man live by?", which humanity still questions in the 21st century, with the concept of "love." It may seem ironic that the great writer Tolstoy wrote a book on three questions and answered two of them with "love," but he attempts to illuminate the "love" that exists within most people but which they don't express or are afraid to express. So, what happens when a person loves? Can a person live without love? A person goes hungry because they don't eat food they dislike, they lose their sense of self when forced to talk to people they don't like, either becoming defiant or withdrawn, and if they work in a job they don't like, they eventually resign and become penniless: therefore, it is love that sustains a person. So, what do you think a person lives on?

Source:

Tolstoy, Lev Nikolayevich. What Men Live By . Türkiye İş Bankası Publications, 2021.

This article was published in the Koç School's Philosophy journal.