Philosophy of crime: Existential aspects and dimensions

Tetiana Borysova; Oleksandr Lavryk; Kostiantyn Orobets; Volodymyr Fiedosieiev; Halyna Zharovska

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2026695

Keywords:

existential emptiness

internal conflict

morality

philosophy of existentialism

philosophy of law

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the existential aspects of crime from the perspective of philosophical analysis. It positions criminal behavior not merely as a legal violation but also as a potential manifestation of a profound personal crisis and a search for meaning in existential emptiness. The research employs a multiaspect methodological approach, which includes a consistent literature review, factor extraction, thematic analysis, and phenomenological interpretation. This is complemented by an analysis of open-source Eurostat statistics for 2020--2022. A systemic review of philosophical literature from the last two decades identified several key existential factors that influence crime rates. Thematic analysis ranked social inequality as the predominant factor intrinsically linked to existential despair. Alienation was also distinguished as a critical driver, stemming from a deep disconnection from societal structures. A subsequent phenomenological analysis of nine European countries stratified by development level revealed a strong correlation between socioeconomic conditions and crime trends. The findings demonstrate that nations with greater economic development, greater social equality, and stronger public trust in government institutions, such as Germany and Sweden, have lower crime rates. This reflects a collective sense of existential security. In contrast, countries characterized by significant inequality, low institutional trust, and political instability, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, and Ukraine, show persistently higher crime rates. This underscores the role of existential frustration and despair in driving deviant behavior. The case of Ukraine is a particular example of how severe economic downturns and war exacerbate existential insecurity, which leads to survival-oriented crime. The study concludes that crime is intrinsically linked to social stability and existential well-being. The results substantiate the theoretical framework of existential philosophy in criminology, demonstrating that crime can be a response to unaddressed existential voids. This research contributes to the field by providing a nuanced, interdisciplinary understanding of crime etiology, suggesting that effective prevention and resocialization strategies must address these underlying existential factors to be truly effective.
References
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26. Oimann, A. K. (2023). The responsibility gap and LAWS: A critical mapping of the debate. Philosophy & Technology, 36(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-022-00602-7
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28. Ryan, G. S. (2019). Postpositivist critical realism: Philosophy, methodology and method for nursing research. Nurse Researcher, 27(3), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2019.e1598
29. Simon, J. (2007). Governing through crime: How the war on crime transformed American democracy and created a culture of fear. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195181081.001.0001
30. Sinha, C. (2024). Critical psychology and the brain: Rethinking free will in the legal context. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 58(4), 1751-1768. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-024-09827-x
31. Smokova, L., Zhylin, M., Mendelo, V., Kyrylishyna, M., & Danilova, O. (2023). Socio-psychological factors in the development of emotional intelligence of drug addicts. International Journal of Statistics in Medical Research, 12, 33-42. https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-6029.2023.12.05
32. Torres, P. (2023). Existential risks: A philosophical analysis. Inquiry, 66(4), 614-639. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2019.1658626
33. Vogt, D. C. (2023). The natural meaning of crime and punishment: Denying and affirming freedom. Criminal Law and Philosophy, 17(2), 339-358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-021-09624-2
34. Wolfowicz, M., & Salama, E. (2024). Returning to the wild west: Jewish violence, social reaction, self-help and social control. International Annals of Criminology, 62(1), 284-316. https://doi.org/10.1017/cri.2024.10

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Borysova, T., Lavryk, O., Orobets, K., Fiedosieiev, V., & Zharovska, H. (2026). Philosophy of crime: Existential aspects and dimensions. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8(11), 2026695. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026695

[1] Akimov, O., Troschinsky, V., Karpa, M., Ventsel, V., & Akimova, L. (2020). International experience of public administration in the area of national security. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 23(3), 1-7. http://surl.li/xtzyyn. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[2] Altman, M. C. (Ed.). (2023). The Palgrave handbook on the philosophy of punishment. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-11874-6. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[3] Arandjelović, O. (2023). Crime and punishment: A rethink. Philosophies, 8(3), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies8030047

[4] Artemov, V., Ishchenko, Y., Rusnak, A., Trepak, V., & Denysenko, M. (2024). The role of American intelligence in shaping foreign policy strategies. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 8(5), 1385-1399. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v8i5.1842

[5] Avunduk, Y. (2021). The relationship between the performance and the perceived stress of employees. Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 6(1), 102-112. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.2021.6

[6] Bauman, Z. (2000). Liquid modernity. Polity Press. https://sociologiac.net/2023/08/15/liquid-modernity-zygmunt-bauman/. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[7] Bisschop, L., Hendlin, Y., & Jaspers, J. (2022). Designed to break: Planned obsolescence as corporate environmental crime. Crime, Law and Social Change, 78(3), 271-293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-022-10023-4

[8] Brown, K. (2024). Vulnerability and social control at the margins: A contribution to an interdisciplinary trialogue on vulnerability. Human Studies, 47, 287-306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10746-024-09734-5

[9] Ciocan, C. (2023). Witnessing as an existential phenomenon. Laval Théologique et Philosophique, 79(1), 21-43. https://doi.org/10.7202/1099105ar

[10] Cowley, C., & Padfield, N. (2024). The philosophy of criminal law: An introduction. Taylor & Francis. http://surl.li/ltapyw. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[11] Glouberman, M. (2024). “Crime” and “punishment”: The curse of Cain and the Bible’s social philosophy. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 54(1), 4-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461079241230134.

[12] Haltsova, V. V., Kharytonov, S. O., Khramtsov, O. M., Zhytnyi, O. O., & Vasyliev, A. A. (2021). Criminal law as a means of protecting human rights and freedoms in the modern world. Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, 28(3), 248-256. https://doi.org/10.37635/jnalsu.28(3).2021.248-256

[13] Harcourt, B. E. (2011). The illusion of free markets: Punishment and the myth of natural order. Harvard University Press. http://surl.li/lkichn. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[14] Heath-Kelly, C., & Shanaah, S. (2023). Rehabilitation within pre-crime interventions: The hybrid criminology of social crime prevention and countering violent extremism. Theoretical Criminology, 27(2), 183-203. https://doi.org/10.1177/13624806221108866

[15] Imran, S. Y., Apripari, A., Muhtar, M. H., Puluhulawa, J., Kaluku, J. A., & Badu, L. W. (2024). Existentialism and environmental destruction: Should polluters face criminal punishment or an existential crisis? In Proceedings of the E3S Web of Conferences, 506, 06001. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202450606001

[16] Jakovljević, M. (2024). Relationship between economic and organized crime in modern society. Pravo Teorija i praksa, 41(1), 70-81. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1238478. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[17] Janoff-Bulman, R. (2023). The two moralities: Conservatives, liberals, and the roots of our political divide. Yale University Press. http://surl.li/wmuzmf. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[18] Kirke, X., & Steele, B. J. (2023). Ontological security, myth, and existentialism. Review of International Studies, 49(5), 905-923. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210523000335

[19] Kotarba, J., & Melnikov, A. (2023). Existential sociology. In H. Wardle, N. Rapport & A. Piette (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of existential human science (pp. 12-22). Routledge.

[20] Kovalenko, I., Meliakova, Y., Kalnytskyi, E., & Nesterenko, K. (2022). The experience of philosophizing in emergency conditions: Specifics and perspectives. Cogito, 14(3), 44-62. https://cogito.ucdc.ro/COGITO_SEPTEMBER_2022.pdf. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[21] Lynch, M. J., Newman, G. R., & Groves, W. B. (2023). Control theory and punishment: An analysis of control theory as a penal philosophy. In M. C. Altman (Ed.),New Directions in Criminological Theory (pp. 337-361). Routledge.

[22] Maguire, R. (2023). Prosecuting crimes against humanity: Complementarity, victims’ rights and domestic courts. Criminal Law and Philosophy, 17(3), 669-689. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-022-09648-2

[23] Mamajonova, D. (2023). Ways to combat crime and improve the crime prevention system. IMRAS, 6(7), 227-236. https://journal.imras.org/index.php/sps/article/view/494. Accessed on June 18, 2025.

[24] Nemeth, C. P. (2022). Criminal law: Historical, ethical, and moral foundations. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003284178

[25] Oderiy, O., Orobets, K., Brynzanska, O., Veklych, V., & Shpiliarevych, V. (2024). The impact of EU criminal law policy on the prevention of transnational environmental crime. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 16(3), 1155-1172. https://doi.org/10.62271/pjc.16.3.1155.1172

[26] Oimann, A. K. (2023). The responsibility gap and LAWS: A critical mapping of the debate. Philosophy & Technology, 36(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-022-00602-7

[27] Popovych, I., Semenov, O., Hrys, A., Aleksieieva, M., Pavliuk, M., & Semenova, N. (2022). Research on mental states of weightlifters’ self-regulation readiness for competitions. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 22(5), 1134-1144. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2022.05143

[28] Ryan, G. S. (2019). Postpositivist critical realism: Philosophy, methodology and method for nursing research. Nurse Researcher, 27(3), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2019.e1598

[29] Simon, J. (2007). Governing through crime: How the war on crime transformed American democracy and created a culture of fear. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195181081.001.0001

[30] Sinha, C. (2024). Critical psychology and the brain: Rethinking free will in the legal context. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 58(4), 1751-1768. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-024-09827-x

[31] Smokova, L., Zhylin, M., Mendelo, V., Kyrylishyna, M., & Danilova, O. (2023). Socio-psychological factors in the development of emotional intelligence of drug addicts. International Journal of Statistics in Medical Research, 12, 33-42. https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-6029.2023.12.05

[32] Torres, P. (2023). Existential risks: A philosophical analysis. Inquiry, 66(4), 614-639. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2019.1658626

[33] Vogt, D. C. (2023). The natural meaning of crime and punishment: Denying and affirming freedom. Criminal Law and Philosophy, 17(2), 339-358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-021-09624-2

[34] Wolfowicz, M., & Salama, E. (2024). Returning to the wild west: Jewish violence, social reaction, self-help and social control. International Annals of Criminology, 62(1), 284-316. https://doi.org/10.1017/cri.2024.10

Abstract

References

How to cite