Civil Disobedience, By Dr. Martin Luther King - 1657 Words

There have been many people that have partaken in the act of not following, or breaking a law that they personally have deemed unjust throughout history, or taken part in civil disobedience . Socrates as well as Dr. Martin Luther King have done this. But the question of whether or not we should be required to follow a law that one personally believes is unjust is very hard to answer. Nevertheless, I believe that we should in fact be able to disobey a law and or a decision that we consider to be unjust. However, in saying this there are some guidelines that come with this. I am not saying that one should just have a complete disregard for the law, which would result in chaos and there would not be a civil society. Nonetheless, what I am†¦show more content†¦Subsequently, if a person or group decides that the law is unjust, then they must decide to react appropriately. However, in the case of where the unjust law that is trying to be undone will result in a greater injustice, the law should remain the same and the group or person must not act to try and change the law. Moving on, there is a vast difference between a group of people participating in civil disobedience, where a person or group breaks the law with the knowledge an acceptance of the consequence, and just sheer violence in response to an unjust law. The whole point of participating in a protest against an unjust law is to bring awareness and conversation about it and try and rectify the unjust law with a just one. Therefore, to involve one’s self with a violent unjust act against the unjust law you are trying to protest against out of spite and do not want to accept the consequences against the people that are enforcing this unjust law will result in a loss of legitimacy for your protest. Socrates puts it in a very simple way, â€Å"Nor must one, when wronged, inflict wrong in return† Socrates saying this gives a reason why he does not try to bribe his way out of prison. So, thi s is the difference between someone who is breaking the law on purpose who wants sincere change, and someone who is just retaliating out of anger of the unjust law. For this reason, it would be counterproductive to strike back with utterShow MoreRelatedCivil Disobedience, And Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1018 Words   |  5 PagesToday, the word disobedience carries a negative connotation that acts as a deterrent for necessary disobedience. The common way in which people view disobedience is as a rejection of a rule, law, or a simple standard. Historically, rules were implemented in ways that were deemed immoral by society. Therefore, civil disobedience is justified to combat immoral standards implemented in society. 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WeRead MoreAntigone And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1233 Words   |  5 PagesIn Sophocles’ Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used resistance against powerful leaders to follow their morals and make a statement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach towards the reconstruction of society’s cultural understanding of segregation used civil dis obedience in a more public and large-scale approach, whereas Antigone’s use of civil disobedience defied the law in a much more private, small-scale way toRead MoreEffective Use of Language in Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail1387 Words   |  6 PagesIn April 16, 1963 Martin Luther King wrote a letter from Birmingham jail that was addressed to the eight leaders of the white Church of the South, the â€Å"white moderates†. 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Civil disobedience is usually thought to be an â€Å"illegal activity undertaken to protest laws that are regarded as unjust† (Schlesinger). In order to eliminate injustice, or at least the most unjust law in the system , people may start disobeying that particular law. Thoreau, Gandhi, and King each were closely related on the concept of civil disobedience, they all thought that the government was in need of fundamental transformation