The concept of blind faith is often difficult for rational people to comprehend.

Rational
people believe that every aspect of life must be able to be explained with logic. However,
rationalism and faith often come in conflict with each other because they are exact opposites. Some
critics, such as Russell McNeil, believe that ostoesv!y is trying to critici"e Russian nihilism, a
form of purely rational thought developed by the Russian intelligentsia during the second half of
the #$th century. %ith this train of thought, everything must be explained in scientific terms in
order to have any validity. &sing a Marxist 'sociological( critical approach and evidence from
ostoevs!y)s *rime and +unishment, McNeil argues that ostoevs!y is advancing the idea that
nihilism is detrimental to society and can lead to suffering and chaos. McNeil cites both the
experiences of Ras!olni!ov, as well as Svidrigailov, to show that nihilism cannot possibly exist. To
further understand his argument, he develops the concept of ,meta-rationalism.. Meta-rationalism is
a blend of rationalism and irrationalism, where some things are accepted without clear explanation
while other things are not. McNeil states that the rational Ras!olni!ov, under the influence of the
meta-rational and religious Sonia, ultimately fails as a successful criminal because he discovers that
he cannot rationali"e his murder. /i!ewise for Svidrigailov, because he possesses purely rational
thought, murder and generosity are moral e0uivalents to him. 1t is only when he dreams of the five-
year old prostitute, ponders his re2ection by ounia, and discovers the meaninglessness of his life,
does he conclude that death is the only rational path. 3lthough McNeil ma!es several points about
the validity of ostoevs!y)s criticism on Russian nihilism, his explanations are shallow and do not
fully explain how purely rational thought causes both suffering on the individual level, as well as
the societal level. McNeil)s thesis is valid, but his arguments are underdeveloped.
#
To thin! in a purely rational manner is to thin! only with logic. Morals, emotions, and
feelings do not coexist with the purely rational thought associated with nihilism. 1n *rime and
+unishment, ostoesv!y is portraying that Russian nihilism, a philosophy based on extreme
rationalism, will never successfully exist because it inherently contradicts human emotions.
ostoevs!y portrays this through the use of his characters, /u"hin, Ras!olni!ov, and Svidrigailov.
4arly on, /u"hin is introduced as a prominent member of the Russian Senate, who believes
that his personal well-being will benefit society as a whole. He is especially hated by Ras!olni!ov
because of his strong belief in 5tric!le-down economics5, a phenomenon, which states that if
someone improves their own life, then he will inevitably benefit society as well. /u"hin states,
56ou love yourself and manage your own affairs properly and your coat remains whole. 4conomic
truth adds that the better private affairs are organi"ed in society... the firmer are its foundations and
the better is the common welfare organi"ed too.5
#
7rom a nihilistic perspective, this idea ma!es
perfect sense. /u"hin.s expenditures become someone.s income, thus cataly"ing societal wealth.
Therefore, /u"hin ma!es a logical conclusion to place his welfare in front of society.s. However,
this rational theory is 0uic!ly contradicted when he discovers that ounia will no longer marry him.
1nstead of improving his well being li!e his theory stated, he now suffers because he has lost his
marriage to ounia. He claims, 51t was my mista!e, too, not to have given them money... They are
the sort of people that would feel bound to return money and presents if they bro!e it off... how can
we dismiss a man who has hitherto been so generous and delicate85
9
His emotions, primarily of
love, clearly contradict with his theory of :tric!le-down economics;. 1n the above passage, /u"hin
personally admits that his original theory is flawed. However /u"hin.s logical personality pushes
him towards extreme avarice, while his moral personality pushes him towards alms. His two
personalities conflict with each other and he ultimately suffers from isolation. Through /u"hin,
#
7yodor ostoevs!y. Crime and Punishment. 'New 6or!< =antam *lassics, #$>#(, pg #?#
9
1bid, pg ?#9
9
ostoevs!y shows that people cannot be completely rational because nihilism does not account for
feelings or emotions. &sing /u"hin.s emotional suffering, ostoevs!y critici"es the concept of
being completely rational, the exact idea nihilism tries to promote. /u"hin is not the only one who
believes in nihilism, but the main character, Ras!olni!ov, as well.
=efore and after Ras!olni!ov murders the pawnbro!er, 3lyona 1vanovna, and her sister,
/i"aveta, Ras!olni!ov begins to contemplate the theory that he is an extraordinary man, but later on
his emotions muddle and contradict his theory. This theory states that people who are extraordinary
above the law do exist, and are capable of overstepping the boundaries of law so they can further
enhance and progress society. Ras!olni!ov explains in detail that 5The second category all
transgress the law... The crimes of these men are of course relative and varied... =ut if such a one is
forced for the sa!e of his idea to step over a corpse or wade through blood, he can...5
?
Ras!olno!ov.s theory of an extraordinary man ma!es logical sense since some people must ta!e
initiative and ris!s beyond standard convention before any progress to society can occur.
7urthermore, Ras!olni!ov declares extraordinary people 'li!e him( have a divine right to transgress
laws 'such as commit murder( in order to further society as a whole. However, his theory becomes
0uic!ly flawed the minute he commits the murder 57ear gained more and more mastery over him
'Ras!olni!ov(.5
@
The contradiction here is that he suffers great emotional pain before and after his
murder, such as nausea, fear, and paranoia. 1f he were an extraordinary man he would not constantly
obsess over the details and mista!es made during the crime. =y portraying the convoluted and
emotionally sha!en thoughts of Ras!olni!ov, ostoevs!y shows that the theory of an extraordinary
man cannot and does not apply to him. Ras!olni!ov ultimately possesses feelings and emotions that
he cannot live without and that nihilism does not support. 7or example, in all the instances
Ras!olni!ov is offered water to drin!, his subconscious emotions plunge him into paranoia and
?
1bid, pg 99A
@
1bid, pg A#
?
terror, proof that his feelings cannot be suppressed. 3nother character, who suffers from conflicting
rationalism and human emotions is Svidrigailov.
Svdrigailov, a wealthy, but scandalous individual, believes he has a right to commit crimes
as long as he will not be apprehended for them. Svidrigailov.s attempted marriage to a #B-year old
shows his immorality, desperation for love, and the emphasis he places on the logic that he will not
be arrested. %hen ounia ma!es her visit to Svidrigailov.s, he contemplates raping ounia because
he !nows he will not be arrested. His rationale is 5=esides, no one would believe you... So that even
if you do sacrifice your brother, you could prove nothing. 1t is very difficult to prove an assault.5
C
The rational part of his personality pushes him towards rape because he !nows he can do it without
being caught, while the moral side pulls him towards passiveness because even if he does rape her,
his emotional need for love will still remain unfulfilled. %hen ounia drops her revolver,
Svidrigailov still ta!es no action. This scene represents the futility of receiving love through
rationalism instead of emotion. 3fterwards, he suffers so much from contradicting logic and
emotion that he contemplates suicide. The concept of pure rationalism is further muddled in
Svidrigailov.s mind after his dream of the five-year old harlot. 3gain he is in a situation of
complete control, but ta!es no action. 1nstead 5There was something infinitely hideous and
shoc!ing in that laugh 'by the child(... )3ccursed child,) Svidrigailov cried, raising his hand to stri!e
her...5
B
Svidrigailov)s rationale and actions clearly contradict with one another. 7rom this dream, he
again reali"es that even with a harlot, he still cannot ac0uire emotional love. &nable to live with the
fact of being unloved by ounia, Svidrigailov !ills himself with ounia)s dropped revolver.
ostoevs!y uses this to show that again nihilism does not account for human feelings and emotions
and that it ultimately will fail and cause suffering. Svidrigailov.s emotions of love could not
fulfilled by mere physical pleasure. He needed this emotional love that was unachievable through
C
1bid, pg @9B
B
1bid, pg @?$
@
rationalism. His rational idea of achieving love through rape star!ly contrasted with the natural
human emotion of love.
7rom the experiences of Svidrigailov, Ras!olni!ov, and /u"hin, it is certain that Russian
nihilism contradicts human emotions and thus will never succeed. &sing a Marxist critical
approach, it can be shown that ostoevs!y attempts to stop nihilism from becoming a part of
Russian culture by showing contradictory emotions and actions within such rational thin!ers as
Svidrigailov, Ras!olni!ov, and /u"hin. 1n the end, ostoevs!y shows that human emotions cannot
be ignored and irrationalism is necessary. Dther characters such as +orfiry and Sonia successfully
showed that a balance of a rationalism and irrationalism was able to accommodate human
emotions.
C
Bibliography
ostoevs!y, 7yodor. *rime and +unishment. New 6or!< =antam *lassics, #$>#.
McNeil, Russell. ostoevs!y.s *rime and +unishment. #A Mar. 9EE9
Fhttp<GGwww.mala.bc.caGHmcneilGlecGlecdost.htmI.
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Crime and Punishment
Response to Critics Paper
Russian Nihilism
Kaisen Lin
Period 6
March 2002
English AP
A