In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky invites the reader to explore the results of fully embracing utilitarianism as a moral philosophy. The novel does this through Rodya, a character who adopts utilitarianism and acts in unsettling ways. I will argue Dostoevsky does not challenge the core premises of utilitarianism, but instead asks the reader to think about the consequences of this ideology. Rodya is both nonreligious as well as utilitarian to the extreme. Rodya is (at least in part) persuaded to kill Alyona by the conversation he overhears, which evidences his commitment to utilitarianism. In this conversation, one of the speakers gives a passionate utilitarian argument for Alyona’s murder:
“On one hand you have a stupid, meaningless, worthless, wicked, sick old crone, no good to anyone and, on the contrary harmful to everyone... Kill her and take her money, so that afterwards with its help you can devote yourself to the service of all mankind and the common cause: what do you think, wouldn’t thousands of good deeds make up for one tiny little crime?” (p. 65)
This argument seems to reveal that the student has no fundamental moral qualms with murder and perhaps even lacks any rigid moral beliefs whatsoever. That Rodya finds this line of reasoning persuasive suggests he is devoid of the deontological ethics associated with …show more content…
Dostoevsky portrays Sonya, who is herself flawed, in a better light the calculating murderer Rodya. Because of this, Crime and Punishment seems to be a criticism of the type of nihilistic belief system Rodya holds. Rodya, while a bright former law student, falls short of wisdom. In Rodya’s own words, ironically enough, “It takes more than intelligence to act intelligently” (p. 235). This is Rodya’s flaw — he believes he is ‘extraordinary’ and can thus use criminal means to achieve his visions (p.
“On one hand you have a stupid, meaningless, worthless, wicked, sick old crone, no good to anyone and, on the contrary harmful to everyone... Kill her and take her money, so that afterwards with its help you can devote yourself to the service of all mankind and the common cause: what do you think, wouldn’t thousands of good deeds make up for one tiny little crime?” (p. 65)
This argument seems to reveal that the student has no fundamental moral qualms with murder and perhaps even lacks any rigid moral beliefs whatsoever. That Rodya finds this line of reasoning persuasive suggests he is devoid of the deontological ethics associated with …show more content…
Dostoevsky portrays Sonya, who is herself flawed, in a better light the calculating murderer Rodya. Because of this, Crime and Punishment seems to be a criticism of the type of nihilistic belief system Rodya holds. Rodya, while a bright former law student, falls short of wisdom. In Rodya’s own words, ironically enough, “It takes more than intelligence to act intelligently” (p. 235). This is Rodya’s flaw — he believes he is ‘extraordinary’ and can thus use criminal means to achieve his visions (p.