Eighteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

The twenty-first century, with its unprecedented level of violence, needs the teaching of strong and charismatic leaders who profess the vision of a nonviolent world and search for the possibility of peace between nations, religions, communities, families, and ourselves. In my study, I attempt to examine religious and ethical teaching of nonviolence (as a strategy to achieve peace) by the great religious and literary figure of the 19th and 20th centuries: Lev Nikolaevicz Tolstoy (1828–1910, Russia), who had the capacity—either through his writings or through his actions—to change the course of history by transforming the idea of violence into a constructive peace-building experience. To introduce readers to Tolstoy’s teaching, I focus on Tolstoy’s non-violent thinking and on some relevant actions in his life. I will refer to Tolstoy’s version of Sermon on the Mount, in the light of Gene Sharp’s concept of principled nonviolence.