Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment: The Raskolnikov Theory

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Why did Raskolnikov commit murder?

[00:00:03]Because he believed some people were simply above morality.

[00:00:07]In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov believed history's greatest figures often changed the world through violence.

[00:00:15]Napoleon, conquerors, revolutionaries.

[00:00:21]Thousands died, yet history still remembered them as great men.

[00:00:25]And Raskolnikov began asking a terrifying question, >> [music] >> if great people break moral laws to change the world, are they really criminals?

[00:00:34]He even believed that throughout history, some leaders and religious figures passed through war and bloodshed in order to create entirely new systems.

[00:00:43]Because power is often judged not by morality, but by results.

[00:00:48]And perhaps Raskolnikov's most dangerous idea was this, if someone is truly great enough, can they exist above morality itself?