On October 30, Political Prisoners' Day, Babook published a book collecting political prisoners' answers to questions from Boris Akunin. It is the second installment of the "AUTO-GRAPH" questionnaire.
You can buy the book here. All proceeds from its sales will go toward helping political prisoners.
Alexei also took part in the questionnaire. His answers are below:
How would you define yourself? Who are you?
I constantly hear the prison administration say, disapprovingly, "I see you're in a good mood today..." So perhaps this is how I'd put it: I am a political prisoner who misses his family, his work, and his colleagues very much, but keeps his spirits up. And of course, I am also a reader. I spend most of the day with a book in my hands.
What do you believe in?
In God and in science. I believe that we live in a non-deterministic universe and possess free will. I believe that we are not alone in this universe. I believe that our deeds and actions will be judged. I believe in true love. I believe that Russia will be happy and free. And I do not believe in death.
When making the most important decisions, what do you rely on—reason or instinct?
There is no contradiction here; it's a false alternative. Evolution made us in such a way that we won't spend long deliberating if we see a snake in our bed. And we won't make split-second decisions about how to build a house that snakes can't crawl into. There is a wonderful book about this, *Thinking, Fast and Slow* by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. I highly recommend it.
What matters most to you in life?
To be useful to society and remain a good person.
What brings you the greatest joy?
Simple family moments. Like driving somewhere together in the car. Someone starts fooling around and singing, and then everyone joins in. And no one can stop until we've sung a whole bunch of songs. And everyone is overflowing with love and happiness.
What saddens you most?
So many people's unwillingness to think, their inability to grasp the most basic cause-and-effect relationships. Every time someone says to me something like, "Corruption doesn't affect my life" or "At least these ones have already stolen enough—new people will come in and start stealing all over again," I think: how is it that hundreds of millions of years of evolution gave this person an astonishing brain, and yet they don't use it?
In your view, what brings the most evil to individuals and to humanity as a whole?
All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. The phrase has been attributed to many people, though no one knows for certain who said it first (I checked). It is astonishingly precise. The hypocrisy of neutrality, of being "apolitical," of standing aside—masking laziness, cowardice, and baseness—is the main reason why a small group of well-organized villains has lorded it over millions throughout human history.
And what brings the most good?
Taking part in the battle of good against neutrality.
Which art form affects you most strongly?
I love literature, and I think I understand it well. I love film, music, and architecture, but I don't really understand them. As for the other art forms, I'll put it diplomatically: "I regard them with respect."
But literature affects me most of all. After all, it works through your own imagination. What could be more powerful than that?
Do you have a favorite quotation or maxim? Which one?
I don't just have a favorite maxim. I have a favorite maxim that contains the word "maxim": "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."
It is one formulation of Kant's moral law.
It is very similar to the famous "Golden Rule" from the Bible ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"). The biblical version is more merciful; the Kantian one, it seems to me, is more responsible, and that is the one I choose.
Following either of these rules is very difficult, but it is something we should strive for.
Which book you have read has been the most important to you?
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn*. When I read it at about age 10 or 11, I realized that books could be not only boring and useful, but also impossible to put down—and funny on every page. And that was when I started reading. I always feel very sorry for people who don't read books—most likely, they were unlucky in childhood and never had the right one fall into their hands.
Is there anyone, past or present, whom you consider a role model?
There have been, and still are, so many good people—brave, great, kind, and intelligent—that choosing just one would be to rob myself.
What is Russia to you today?
It is the place where I understand everyone and feel at home. The country where my language is spoken and where my people live.
I am able to distinguish between the country and the government, so in these dramatic times I love Russia no less than I always have.