Civil Disobedience
“If the individual has an inalienable right to his own life, liberty, and property, then morally his life and property are his own to do with as he pleases” (Wollstein). Doesn’t every man have the right to do what he feels is best for him without first obeying the government? This brings up a very highly debated topic. Is it ever appropriate to go against the government? It is appropriate to go against the government when morals override man-made law, when the government does not listen to its constituents, and when a strong majority rules unjustly over the righteous few.
First of all, it is appropriate to go against the government when morals override man-made law. Thoreau states in “Civil Disobedience”, “The mass of men serve the state this, not as men mainly, but as machines with their bodies…Others, as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders, serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God.” Thoreau is saying that an individual’s conscience and morals should come before anything else. After all, …show more content…
The government provides rules and regulations that are necessary to maintain order. If individuals chose to defy the government simply because they did not like certain rules, chaos could ensue. Our everyday lives are made up of rules and regulations. For example many lives would be lost if there was not control on guns, drugs, or traffic laws. These are just a few basic laws that we follow in our everyday lives to keep us safe. However, in Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he states, “I heartily accept the motto,-“’ That government is best which governs least’”; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically.” The government should take a step back, see what the citizens want, and act upon
“If the individual has an inalienable right to his own life, liberty, and property, then morally his life and property are his own to do with as he pleases” (Wollstein). Doesn’t every man have the right to do what he feels is best for him without first obeying the government? This brings up a very highly debated topic. Is it ever appropriate to go against the government? It is appropriate to go against the government when morals override man-made law, when the government does not listen to its constituents, and when a strong majority rules unjustly over the righteous few.
First of all, it is appropriate to go against the government when morals override man-made law. Thoreau states in “Civil Disobedience”, “The mass of men serve the state this, not as men mainly, but as machines with their bodies…Others, as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders, serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God.” Thoreau is saying that an individual’s conscience and morals should come before anything else. After all, …show more content…
The government provides rules and regulations that are necessary to maintain order. If individuals chose to defy the government simply because they did not like certain rules, chaos could ensue. Our everyday lives are made up of rules and regulations. For example many lives would be lost if there was not control on guns, drugs, or traffic laws. These are just a few basic laws that we follow in our everyday lives to keep us safe. However, in Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he states, “I heartily accept the motto,-“’ That government is best which governs least’”; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically.” The government should take a step back, see what the citizens want, and act upon