Utilitarianism In Crime And Punishment

From a young age, humans are taught to follow specific rules and recognize the distinctions between “right and wrong.” Today, most parents discipline their children with a clear set of rules and use positive comments as a reward for favored behavior. Children are then also met with the consequences of not following these commands. Eventually, individuals learn that breaking regulations and acting wrongfully results in punishment. To most people, the idea of following the laws and the moral code of society is an accepted expectation in everyday life. Although personal definitions of “morality” and one’s established guide for behavior differs between individuals, abiding by the laws comes naturally to the majority because of their recognition
He justifies his murders of a pawnbroker and her sister, Alyona and Lizaveta Ivanovna, by claiming that he is exempt from the law. Raskolnikov also originally uses utilitarianism as justification by stating that he contributes to the greater good of others by removing a harmful “louse” from society. However, following the murders, Raskolnikov suffers from immense guilt and torment. Through an exploration of Raskolnikov’s several mental states before and after committing the murders, Dostoyevsky is able to verify Raskolnikov’s failure in proving that he is an Übermensch. Because of his innate goodness and inability of imposing his own moral values, Raskolnikov is unable to suppress his repentant conscience and demonstrates the falsehood of the “extraordinary” man
In Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov believes himself to be this superior figure to humankind. To prove to himself that his “extraordinary” man theory is correct, Raskolnikov takes upon himself the burden of murder. He obsessively plans out the murder of an old pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna, whom he considers to be fraudulent and evil. She cheats the poor, and oppresses and beats her own sister, Lizaveta. By killing Alyona off, Raskolnikov believes that he is bettering humanity. The Übermensch has the ability to impose moral values on oneself, as opposed to assuming those of others. Prior to committing the murders, Raskolnikov is in a state of temporary insanity in which he believes that the elimination of Alyona will contribute to the bettering of mankind; however, his weak and cowardly conscience doesn’t allow him to finalize his improvement in society or justify his