It might be interesting in addition to what you've written here to contemplate Number 35:33 where is states that murder defiles the land, a sin which can only be expiated by the death of the murderer. "Defiles the land" is a fairly mystical reason why murder is evil and not readily apparent to our way of thinking.
Interesting thought. Compare also with Cain and Abel (where God specifically prohibits the killing of Cain in revenge, instead banishing him for the land) and Oedipus Rex (where Thebes is cursed with plague until Oedipus realizes that he is the murderer).
Aristotle’s objective morality is so poignant here: “This means that morality is not just about following rules. Really, it is about avoiding self-destruction…” Thinking it’s about rules gets so many people in trouble. Next you start questioning the rules, then you start trying to find ways to get around them. When really it’s all about the real inner quality of your existence. When you do wrong, the ‘gnawing of conscience’ will give you that feeling in your gut that you know. But if the mind thinks it’s all just a set of rules it can easily continue leading us astray. That’s why we need the fire of the heart - which in the story comes with Sonia - and finds a higher manifestation on selfless love and compassion.
By pursuing his ego, Raskolnikov comitted sins wh8vh separated him from God, causing damage to him. He starts to despair and the Sonia (almost like Dantes Virgil) tells Radkolnikov to not despair but to confess and repent. Raskolnikov is afraid of suffering punishemnt, but then Sonia reasures him, promissing to be there for him trough it. Here we see that the only path to healing is in confession and repentance. And "stand up" is a metaphor often usdd in Orthodoxy to describe what to do once you sinned.
As Babs pointed out below this essay would be greatly improved if you corrected the bit about Raskolnikov murdering the landlady. He actually murdered the pawnbroker who was hated by many, so it was easier to justify the murder. Also Lizaveta was not some random girl who showed up but the stepsister of the pawnbroker.
I did appreciate your conclusion that morality is objective. A is A.
Murder is a legal term, which accepts wrongful as a legal definition, which is a terrible place to start to understand anything. Law is not fundamental to anything. Murder means explicitly “wrongful" killing, independently of the definition of wrongful, so it's stipulated, not reasoned, that murder is wrong.
Why is murder wrong?
Why questions are either How?, which is empirical or From what intent? Both can apply to murder. We can say it's wrong bc most people don't want to be killed for any reason; we can say it's wrong bc life has inherent value ( it doesn't ), etc. The point is, whether and how it's wrong is contingent on priorities.
Orthodox Christian theme of falling and standing up is the center here. When we fall into sin we dont remain lying down, we pick ourselves up and continue (confession) and we suffer for our sins (Raskolnikov going to Siberia) seeking redemption.
When we commit sin we cut ourselves from God and that damages us profoundly. The only way to heal from that is to turn back to God.
Dostoyevsky despised "Greatness" and put "Goodness" in the forefront. You dont need to ne a Napoleon to be happy. Raskolnik9v is in prison and suffering but Sonia is waiting for him, freedom will come at last at the end of his repentance. And so he reads the Bible in prison, filled with hope. He didnt fall knto despair and despondrncy.
Also, his trial... I always compare it to trial in "Outsider" by Albert Camus... they are like polar opposites.
As a former police investigator and now an insurance and credibility investigator, I really appreciate how you frame the damage of crime as something that happens inside the offender first.
In real cases, I’ve seen the same pattern you describe with Raskolnikov: people who thought they wereabove the rules slowly destroyed by their own story, long before any court sentence. Your reading of Sonia’s role and of confession as a way to stop that inner erosion feels very true from the interrogation room as well as from literature.
I agree that the destruction of Raskolnikov's soul through his inner torments is more central to the novel than the question of external punishment, or even the basic immorality of the original act. In a way his refusal through much of the novel to face up to the true nature of his actions is more degrading of his soul than the act itself, which I suppose is why redemption is possible.
It might be interesting in addition to what you've written here to contemplate Number 35:33 where is states that murder defiles the land, a sin which can only be expiated by the death of the murderer. "Defiles the land" is a fairly mystical reason why murder is evil and not readily apparent to our way of thinking.
Interesting thought. Compare also with Cain and Abel (where God specifically prohibits the killing of Cain in revenge, instead banishing him for the land) and Oedipus Rex (where Thebes is cursed with plague until Oedipus realizes that he is the murderer).
I think Raskolnikov murdered the pawn broker and not the land lady. And I don’t think this is a trivial point.
Agreed. The landlady was decent to Raskolnikov. The pawnbroker was hated by many.
Aristotle’s objective morality is so poignant here: “This means that morality is not just about following rules. Really, it is about avoiding self-destruction…” Thinking it’s about rules gets so many people in trouble. Next you start questioning the rules, then you start trying to find ways to get around them. When really it’s all about the real inner quality of your existence. When you do wrong, the ‘gnawing of conscience’ will give you that feeling in your gut that you know. But if the mind thinks it’s all just a set of rules it can easily continue leading us astray. That’s why we need the fire of the heart - which in the story comes with Sonia - and finds a higher manifestation on selfless love and compassion.
By pursuing his ego, Raskolnikov comitted sins wh8vh separated him from God, causing damage to him. He starts to despair and the Sonia (almost like Dantes Virgil) tells Radkolnikov to not despair but to confess and repent. Raskolnikov is afraid of suffering punishemnt, but then Sonia reasures him, promissing to be there for him trough it. Here we see that the only path to healing is in confession and repentance. And "stand up" is a metaphor often usdd in Orthodoxy to describe what to do once you sinned.
A person who is highly disagreeable is probably a narcissist in which case you will not be able to please them. The best thing to do is run away
I read this book while in college and it made a big impact. I love your conclusion that doing evil degrades us.
As Babs pointed out below this essay would be greatly improved if you corrected the bit about Raskolnikov murdering the landlady. He actually murdered the pawnbroker who was hated by many, so it was easier to justify the murder. Also Lizaveta was not some random girl who showed up but the stepsister of the pawnbroker.
I did appreciate your conclusion that morality is objective. A is A.
Murder is a legal term, which accepts wrongful as a legal definition, which is a terrible place to start to understand anything. Law is not fundamental to anything. Murder means explicitly “wrongful" killing, independently of the definition of wrongful, so it's stipulated, not reasoned, that murder is wrong.
Why is murder wrong?
Why questions are either How?, which is empirical or From what intent? Both can apply to murder. We can say it's wrong bc most people don't want to be killed for any reason; we can say it's wrong bc life has inherent value ( it doesn't ), etc. The point is, whether and how it's wrong is contingent on priorities.
Orthodox Christian theme of falling and standing up is the center here. When we fall into sin we dont remain lying down, we pick ourselves up and continue (confession) and we suffer for our sins (Raskolnikov going to Siberia) seeking redemption.
When we commit sin we cut ourselves from God and that damages us profoundly. The only way to heal from that is to turn back to God.
Dostoyevsky despised "Greatness" and put "Goodness" in the forefront. You dont need to ne a Napoleon to be happy. Raskolnik9v is in prison and suffering but Sonia is waiting for him, freedom will come at last at the end of his repentance. And so he reads the Bible in prison, filled with hope. He didnt fall knto despair and despondrncy.
Also, his trial... I always compare it to trial in "Outsider" by Albert Camus... they are like polar opposites.
As a former police investigator and now an insurance and credibility investigator, I really appreciate how you frame the damage of crime as something that happens inside the offender first.
In real cases, I’ve seen the same pattern you describe with Raskolnikov: people who thought they wereabove the rules slowly destroyed by their own story, long before any court sentence. Your reading of Sonia’s role and of confession as a way to stop that inner erosion feels very true from the interrogation room as well as from literature.
I agree that the destruction of Raskolnikov's soul through his inner torments is more central to the novel than the question of external punishment, or even the basic immorality of the original act. In a way his refusal through much of the novel to face up to the true nature of his actions is more degrading of his soul than the act itself, which I suppose is why redemption is possible.
I wrote about Crime and Punishment a few weeks ago if anyone is interested - link below:
https://unravellingmystery.substack.com/p/crime-and-punishment
Thank y o u!