In dialogo con Bruna Bianchi. Note a margine di «Non resistere al male con il male». Obiezione di coscienza e pacifismo nel pensiero di Tolstoj

In Dialogue with Bruna Bianchi. Marginal Notes on «Not Resisting Evil with Evil»: Conscientious Objection and Pacifism in Tolstoy’s Thought. The article examines Tolstoy’s radical pacifism in dialogue with Bruna Bianchi’s book on the same subject. Tolstoy advocated for disarmament and nonviolence as the sole path to peace. His ethical Christianity, based solely on the precept «Love your neighbour as yourself», aimed at the individual’s inner transformation. This led to his call for conscientious objection and his interest in the Doukhobors, a persecuted non-violent religious community in Russia, whom the writer helped to emigrate. The article concludes by comparing Tolstoy with his «eternal rival» Dostoevsky: despite their opposing views on humanity, they shared a common belief in the «ridiculous dream» of universal brotherhood, attainable through different paths.