Public domain audiobook

On Life

English· 06:24:32· 41 chapters

What is the "good life" for us mortal beings? Two months spent recovering from a severe injury allowed Tolstoy to develop and organise his thoughts on the subject. On Life is his philosophical answer where love, religion, and morality come together to ground us in reality. - Summary by Cao Yuqing

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Chapters

Chapter 1
Introduction
34:32
Chapter 2
Chapter 1 The essential contradiction inherent in human life
06:50
Chapter 3
Chapter 2 Humanity has recognized from the earliest days the contradiction of life...
09:04
Chapter 4
Chapter 3 The errors of the Scribes
05:15
Chapter 5
Chapter 4 The doctrine of the Scribes substitutes the visible manifestation of man's animal existence...
07:18
Chapter 6
Chapter 5 The false doctrines of the Pharisees and Scribes no more explain the true meaning of life...
09:38
Chapter 7
Chapter 6 The division in the consciousness of the men of our time
06:45
Chapter 8
Chapter 7 The division of consciousness proceeds from the confusion of the animal life with the human
07:27
Chapter 9
Chapter 8 The division and the contradiction are only apparent: they are the consequence of false doctrine
05:39
Chapter 10
Chapter 9 The birth of the true life in man
06:13
Chapter 11
Chapter 10 Reason is the law recognized by man, in conformity with which his life must be perfected
06:18
Chapter 12
Chapter 11 False direction of knowledge
09:44
Chapter 13
Chapter 12 The cause of false knowledge is the false perspective in which objects appear
09:01
Chapter 14
Chapter 13 The possibility of understanding objects increases not in proportion to their manifestation in time and space...
10:55
Chapter 15
Chapter 14 The true human life is not that which is lived in time and space
08:56
Chapter 16
Chapter 15 The renunciation of the wellbeing of the animal individuality is the law of human life
07:32
Chapter 17
Chapter 16 The animal individuality is the instrument of life
05:17
Chapter 18
Chapter 17 Birth by the Spirit
03:25
Chapter 19
Chapter 18 The demands of the reasonable consciousness
10:40
Chapter 20
Chapter 19 Confirmation of the demands of the reasonable consciousness
10:22
Chapter 21
Chapter 20 The demands of the individuality appear incompatible with those of the reasonable consciousness
05:30
Chapter 22
Chapter 21 What is required is not renunciation of our individuality but the subjugation of individuality to the reasonable consciousness
10:01
Chapter 23
Chapter 22 The feeling of love is the manifestation of the activity of the individuality subjected to the reasonable consciousness
10:01
Chapter 24
Chapter 23 The manifestation of the feeling of love is impossible to men who do not understand the meaning of their life
16:54
Chapter 25
Chapter 24 True love is a consequence of the renunciation of the welfare of the individuality
09:43
Chapter 26
Chapter 25 Love is the sole and complete activity of the true life
07:58
Chapter 27
Chapter 26 The efforts of men, directed to the impossible amelioration of their existence, deprive them of the possibility of living the one true life
07:01
Chapter 28
Chapter 27 The fear of death is only the consciousness of the unsolved contradiction of life
10:06
Chapter 29
Chapter 28 Carnal death destroys the body limited in space and the consciousness limited in time...
14:04
Chapter 30
Chapter 29 Men fear death because they have restricted life by their false conception, taking a part of life to be the whole
07:19
Chapter 31
Chapter 30 Life is a relationship to the world. The movement of life is the establishment of new and loftier relationships...
07:05
Chapter 32
Chapter 31 The life of men when they are dead does not cease in this world
11:57
Chapter 33
Chapter 32 The dread of death proceeds from man's confusion of his different relationships to the world
09:41
Chapter 34
Chapter 33 The visible life is a part of the infinite movement of life
11:34
Chapter 35
Chapter 34 The incomprehensibility of the sufferings of earthly existence proves to man more convincingly than anything...
20:40
Chapter 36
Chapter 35 Physical sufferings constitute an indispensable condition of the life and welfare of men
11:30
Chapter 37
Conclusion
02:44
Chapter 38
Appendix I
05:24
Chapter 39
Appendix II
04:23
Chapter 40
Appendix III
03:30
Chapter 41
Appendix IV Mr. H. W. Massingham on "Life"
16:36

On Life

Chapters

Introduction

Chapter 1 The essential contradiction inherent in human life

Chapter 2 Humanity has recognized from the earliest days the contradiction of life...

Chapter 3 The errors of the Scribes

Chapter 4 The doctrine of the Scribes substitutes the visible manifestation of man's animal existence...

Chapter 5 The false doctrines of the Pharisees and Scribes no more explain the true meaning of life...

Chapter 6 The division in the consciousness of the men of our time

Chapter 7 The division of consciousness proceeds from the confusion of the animal life with the human

Chapter 8 The division and the contradiction are only apparent: they are the consequence of false doctrine

Chapter 9 The birth of the true life in man

Chapter 10 Reason is the law recognized by man, in conformity with which his life must be perfected

Chapter 11 False direction of knowledge

Chapter 12 The cause of false knowledge is the false perspective in which objects appear

Chapter 13 The possibility of understanding objects increases not in proportion to their manifestation in time and space...

Chapter 14 The true human life is not that which is lived in time and space

Chapter 15 The renunciation of the wellbeing of the animal individuality is the law of human life

Chapter 16 The animal individuality is the instrument of life

Chapter 17 Birth by the Spirit

Chapter 18 The demands of the reasonable consciousness

Chapter 19 Confirmation of the demands of the reasonable consciousness

Chapter 20 The demands of the individuality appear incompatible with those of the reasonable consciousness

Chapter 21 What is required is not renunciation of our individuality but the subjugation of individuality to the reasonable consciousness

Chapter 22 The feeling of love is the manifestation of the activity of the individuality subjected to the reasonable consciousness

Chapter 23 The manifestation of the feeling of love is impossible to men who do not understand the meaning of their life

Chapter 24 True love is a consequence of the renunciation of the welfare of the individuality

Chapter 25 Love is the sole and complete activity of the true life

Chapter 26 The efforts of men, directed to the impossible amelioration of their existence, deprive them of the possibility of living the one true life

Chapter 27 The fear of death is only the consciousness of the unsolved contradiction of life

Chapter 28 Carnal death destroys the body limited in space and the consciousness limited in time...

Chapter 29 Men fear death because they have restricted life by their false conception, taking a part of life to be the whole

Chapter 30 Life is a relationship to the world. The movement of life is the establishment of new and loftier relationships...

Chapter 31 The life of men when they are dead does not cease in this world

Chapter 32 The dread of death proceeds from man's confusion of his different relationships to the world

Chapter 33 The visible life is a part of the infinite movement of life

Chapter 34 The incomprehensibility of the sufferings of earthly existence proves to man more convincingly than anything...

Chapter 35 Physical sufferings constitute an indispensable condition of the life and welfare of men

Conclusion

Appendix I

Appendix II

Appendix III

Appendix IV Mr. H. W. Massingham on "Life"