Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich's Dispute: The Nihilist's Introduction
"Aristocratism, liberalism, progress, principles- think of it, what a lot of foreign...and useless words! To a Russian they're not worth a straw."
"What, in your opinion, does he need? To hear you talk we might all be living outside human society, beyond its laws. Doesn't the logic of history demand..."
"What has that logic to do with us? We can get on without that too."
"What do you mean?"
"Just that. You don't need logic, I suppose, to put a piece of bread in your mouth when you're hungry? We've no time for such abstractions!"
Pavel Petrovich threw up his hands.
"After that I fail to understand you. You insult the Russian people. How can you decline to recognize principles and precepts passes my comprehension. What other basis for conduct in life have we got?"
"I've told you already, uncle, that we don't recognize any authorities," Arkady interposed.
"We base our conduct on what we recognize as useful," Bazarov went on. "In these days the most useful thing we can do is to repudiate- and so we repudiate."
"Everything?"
"Everything."
"What? Not only art, poetry...but also...I am afraid to say it..."
"Everything," Bazarov repeated with indescribable composure.
Pavel Petrovich stared at him. He had not expected this; while Arkady positively glowed with satisfaction.
"However, if I may say so," began Nikolai Petrovich, "you repudiate everything, or, to put it more precisely, you are destroying everything...But one must construct, too, you know."
"That is not our affair...The ground must be cleared first."
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