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What theory does Raskolnikov use to justify murder in Crime and Punishment?

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One of the greatest Russian writers — Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Dostoyevsky, shown in 1876, was introduced to a new generation of readers in 2024–25 when “White Nights” surged in popularity thanks to TikTok and Instagram users.

In the novel Crime and Punishment, the protagonist Rodion Raskolnikov is driven by several contradictory theories to justify his decision to murder an elderly pawnbroker.12

His most prominent justification is the "extraordinary person" theory. Raskolnikov posits that humanity is divided into two groups: "ordinary" people, who must follow established laws, and "extraordinary" individuals—such as Napoleon or Caesar—who possess the "right to transgress" moral boundaries to achieve greater goals or advance human progress.12

Additionally, Raskolnikov is influenced by:
* Utilitarian morality: The idea that killing the pawnbroker is a "positive good" because her wealth could be redistributed to help many others.12
* Moral nihilism: The belief that concepts of good and evil are merely religious relics and that, in a strictly moral sense, crime does not exist.1

Dostoyevsky fundamentally rejected these ideologies, which he associated with the dangerous arrogance of the intelligentsia. Instead, he affirmed the ethical principle of the infinite worth of every human soul, ultimately portraying Raskolnikov’s path to redemption through suffering and atonement rather than intellectual justification.12