Two centuries of the Russian classics

2686-7494

IWL RAS

https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-3-88-107

Research Article

Articles

Ethical Rationalism and “Duality” in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Novels “Crime and Punishment” and “Demons”

Fedorova

Elena A.

red@rusklassika.ru Solovyova

Daria A.

red@rusklassika.ru

25 09 2026

8 3 88 107

F. M. Dostoevsky novels rationalism “Crime and Punishment ” “Demons ” The Double The Interlocutor A. A. Ukhtomsky

2026

This article examines the ethical rationalism of the characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels “Crime and Punishment” and “Demons.” This rationalism prevents them from living a life of the heart and awakens the Double, which, according to the ethical teachings of A. A. Ukhtomsky, is a negative projection of the subject onto others. The Double manifests itself in Dostoevsky’s characters not only through vanity and self- love, but also through a fear of life. Raskolnikov’s theory and Shigalev’s “earthly paradise” share a common arithmetic principle: the sacrifice of “material” for the sake of the future of the “chosen” people. Raskolnikov’s experiment can be compared to the murder of Shatov by “our people.” Dostoevsky demonstrates that overcoming the Double is possible only through discovering the “face” of the Other and through faith in the Other and in God. Sonya Marmeladova, through her love, awakens in Raskolnikov a desire for a new life and faith. Shatov’s love for his returned wife and the miracle of the birth of his child help him finally believe in higher powers.

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