The novel „Crime and Punishment” was written by the Russian writer
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky. It was created in really interesting times,
when a lot was happening in Russia – socialism was being born and the final
epoch of the Russian Empire was going on.
I read the novel when I was in high school. To this day, I believe that it was the best book I have read. The incredibly devoted atmosphere of St. Petersburg, chilling scenes of the murder, the perfect image of the heroes' poverty and a complicated portrait of the murderer. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. In my opinion, the “Joker” movie is very similar to that novel.
1. In your opinion, does the end justify the means?2. In your opinion, is the murder excusable? Any examples from history?3. What's the best school book you've ever read?
Comments
1. In your opinion, does the end justify the means?
In my opinion, this statement is contradictory and needs long reasoning. It depends on the specific goal and specific means. But I'm pretty sure that to make evil things to achieve kind is wrong and immoral.
If to make a parallel with Raskolnikov, he thought that there were unworthy people who should die, like this old lady. But after killing her, he did not feel relief, started reproach himself and became an 'unworthy' person. The end did not justify the means.
2. In your opinion, is the murder excusable? Any examples from history?
I think the murder is excusable only if it is self-defence. There is such low in a lot of countries which exempts from liability in such situations.
I have also heard that there was an accident in Texas where the man killed his daughter's rapist and was not convicted.
3. What's the best school book you've ever read?
I can name a few books except Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. First one is The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. I liked it for the aestheticism, amount of aphorisms and of course for the accent on the power of art.
My second favourite school book is also the Russian novel The Master and Margarita. The author is Mikhail Bulgakov. It is an exciting story where reveals the theme of religion, love, philosophy and human vices.
In your opinion, does the end justify the means?
I'd say that it is true. If we can achieve greater good by doing something which is bad, I would encourage it. But the conditions are hard to meet. It is hard to predict the results of our actions so we have to be conscious about it.
In your opinion, is the murder excusable? Any examples from history?
Definitely. I think the easiest example is the one in which we are trying to prevent bigger murder and the only way to do that is to kill the murderer.
What's the best school book you've ever read?
Probably "Crime and punishment" or a very timely book, Camus's "The Plague"
1. In your opinion, does the end justify the means?
Who am I to judge? I think about it more and more and still, I don’t have a clear answer. Only more questions. The world is not black and white… This sentence should be considered in specific examples.
2. In your opinion, is the murder excusable? Any examples from history?
This is a very philosophical question. I think it’s not excusable. According to the golden rule, you should treat others as you want to be treated, you cannot take other humans life. I am against the death penalty. No one deserves their life to be taken. No one. I truly believe that penalization is a worse punishment than death. For me, death is more like peace and freedom from our miserable lives that vicious doesn’t deserve.
3. What's the best school book you've ever read?
Unfourtunelty I haven’t read a single book during my school career. I enjoy reading since I was a little kid but an obligation to read them made me discouraged. However, I know all of them from summaries and studies. I enjoy reading poems and thanks to them I pass my matura exam with a high score. My favorite poems are written by Tadeusz Miciński.
2. No murder can be excused because in most cases it does not solve the problems. Taking someone's life is an unimaginable and cruelly bestial act. In my opinion, the Hammurabi code should work in such cases.
3. At school I was always rejected from reading because it was forced on me. "Pawel read book X. You have a week and we will discuss it." No! I did not enjoy the things imposed and limited in time. But among these readings there was one gem - Mythology.
I don't know, I guess it would depend on each example.
2. In your opinion, is the murder excusable? Any examples from history?
Well there was some people in history that were murdered and nobody reacted to it. Osama bin Laden was killed by the soldiers who found him and everyone in the world considered it as success. Also italian duce Benito Mussolini was murdered in lynch. But in my opinion murder couldn't be excused even in this examples. I believe that every human being has a right to live and I also think that death penalty should be abolished in every country.
3. What's the best school book you've ever read?
I belive that it'd be a "Ferdydurke" by Witold Gombrowicz. I know that many people don't like this book because it may be considered bizzare, but in my opinion bizzarness make this book unique. Other example I'd consider the best was "Cierpienia młodego Wertera" by W. Goethe which matched my current state of heart when I read it.
Thank you for article, I have read this book very controversial book.
1. In your opinion, does the end justify the means?
Raskolnikov divided people into two categories, some have the right to happiness and others not. And according to the work, he commits murder for the good of people as he thought. But having committed the murder of the old woman, Raskolnikov realizes that he is unable to maintain composure and calmness, dooming himself to mental anguish and torment. Consequently, his goal turned out to be unfulfilled - he did not help his loved ones in any way, and even less did he make the lives of other people happy. Raskolnikov's goal was initially impossible, because he chose the wrong means to achieve it. No matter how noble the end may be, it cannot justify the means if they go against all norms of morality and humanity.
2. In your opinion, is the murder excusable? Any examples from history?
I think the murder is not excusable, I don't think we have the right to take someone's life, we all have equal rights. It is quite difficult to answer this question unambiguously.
3. What's the best school book you've ever read?
There are a lot of them. But perhaps the best is L.T. Tolstoy's "War and Peace". The novel describes the life and everyday life of Russian society during the invasions of Napoleon. Seeing the situation from different angles helps to understand how people thought, at that time, what they were guided by, the alignment of their minds and feelings. Throughout the entire novel, the contrast of peace, balls, revelry with war, murder and destruction does not let go.
And probably the most beloved one that I reread is "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov.
1. I think when we don’t make any violence or any illegal stuff to get our goals it’s ok, but when somebody did anything that affects another person this depends on the moral feeling of this person. Killing for money it’s not the best way, people have a lot of wars for money even nowadays we know about a few of them, and this is pretty, but it’s only mine opinion.
2. If we are talking about murder what we imagine? Does one person just kill another for some money or a better position in work? It should not be excusable, just when you were attacked by someone and it was your last way to protect yourself I guess it’s excusable bot nothing more.
3. Actually I was very excited when I was reading “The picture of Dorian Gray”, it was really interesting and I don’t know why, but this book I remember till today.
2. Murder, as an act of self-defence or while defending others, could, in my opinion, be excused. However, this would be a final measure. Although, if we speaking of killing in advance, for example, a politician, no matter how much better would the country be without him, it is still wrong to me. I would maybe not cry over some of the tyrants, although I can't get behind it either. I'm sure there were great examples in human history, but right now I cannot think of anything.
3. I must say that when I read I expect a total relaxation. I love to read mythologies of various cultures, they tend to be quite bizarre. And that is what I want from books, something out of this world. That's why my all-time favourite is the Lord of the Rings, especially the second part. I love the story, I love the characters, however, what I love the most is the integrity of the whole story. Tolkien wasn't really a righter, he was rather a researcher. He mostly translated and interpreted old lost texts from old English. He was a linguistics genius and he even developed a language himself - the elvish language. We may be now accustomed to elves, dwarves and so on, however, Tolkien was the one to give them a definition as they have now. Elves, for examples, were usually a villans in most stories. Ominous creatures that hunted lost people in the woods. Tolkien gave them a totally different appearance and it seemed to stick so well that we forgot about the previous meanings. If anybody here hasn't read it yet, take a time and do this.