Civil Disobedience Philosophy

Improved Essays
Each philosopher has their own opinion on civil disobedience and whether they agree with civil disobedience or not. Every philosopher states why the agree with it or why the don't. Agreeing with civil disobedience is ok when there are unjust laws that force people to break certain laws. However, if there are not unjust laws there should not be a reason why laws are being broke.
Civil disobedience is also known as the refusal to obey certain laws or governmental demands for the purpose of influencing legislation or government policy, characterized by the employment of such nonviolent techniques as boycotting,picketing, and nonpayment of taxes (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/civil-disobedience).
Each philosopher has responds to civil disobedience

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Civil disobedience is defined as members of a community choosing to actively disobey laws in protest of a cause. As proponents of civil disobedience, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi advocated for those following their causes to complete acts disregarding unjust laws put in place to draw attention to their separate causes. This method of fighting for a cause emphasizes understanding of the necessity for change, that people are actively defying the law to draw attention to the unfair systems in place. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used this to promote his movement of racial equality as compared with Gandhi’s movement for the separation of India from Britain. Both of their similar philosophies resulted in a degree of success, “the peaceful…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil Disobedience is a term that varies among different people. In the mind of Henry David Thoreau the definition of Civil Disobedience requires you to have at least three things. You must be able to identify an issue at hand. You must be willing to take action for that issue. You must be prepared to take responsibility for those actions.…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Federalist 51, James Madison declared “the people [to be] the fountain of all authority.” As the “Father of the Constitution”, James Madison was largely responsible for the First Amendment, which declared that “Congress shall make no law … abridging … the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” While creating the framework for America’s new society, James Madison endowed Americans with the right and duty to gather and express themselves. These First Amendment freedoms are the highest forms of resistance protected by the Constitution.…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil Disobedience Dbq

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Both Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham city jail as well as Henry David Thoreau’s civil disobedience shows how we should all practice civil disobedience for justice and to right an unjust law or action. Which bring up the question of whether civil disobedience is effective or ineffective in achieving change? Based on history we see civil disobedience is an effective way to achieve change in democratic countries. Civil disobedience can only work in a democratic country because in a democracy the government gains all its power from the people. In the case of dr. martin Luther king, he executed a nonviolent movement with thousands of fellow citizens to achieve change.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil Disobedience Civil Disobedience is the refusal to obey any laws, taxes, or any fines without any violent acts. From Thomas Jefferson to Dr. martin Luther King Jr to David Thoreau. Each of these was a different case, but all impacted the world in the same way. Some people believe it keeps the government in check and others believe it shows defiance to the law. Many people like Thoreau believed that unjust laws existed and that the government needed improvement.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    During the 1950’s and 60’s in the United States, the quest for equal rights was unfortunately just growing out of its infancy. Spearheading this effort was the renowned minister Martin Luther King Junior. While protesting in Birmingham, Alabama, King was arrested on the charge of parading without a permit and detained in the local jail. During his less than luxurious stay, he wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. The purpose of this message was to clearly lay out the process, display the importance, and illustrate the demand for Nonviolent Direct Action when negotiating civil rights for the non-white citizens of Birmingham; he additionally argues that one must take caution when carrying out civil disobedience, and that both of these forms of protest require courage and more importantly incredible discipline.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Henry David Thoreau once said, in his article “Civil Disobedience,” that “All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.” When he stated this, Thoreau was writing in regard to civil disobedience and his refusal to pay taxes in protest of slavery and the government’s involvement in the Mexican-American War. Civil disobedience can refer to disobeying laws that are thought to be unjust or to using peaceful protests, demonstrations, sit-ins, and other measures to bring attention to significant issues. Thoreau’s statement is still relevant to the world today. Society can use acts of civil disobedience to change laws that are inequitable.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil Disobedience Unjust

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Civil Disobedience is the right of a person to oppose a law that one believes is unjust. This is a right of an individual because their actions are a result of their feeling as though a law or regulation isn't just or fair. By peacefully opposing such a law, this person may positively influence a free society, as a demonstration of one's personal beliefs and standing up for their rights. As Rosa Parks stated, "You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right", people are encouraged to stand against laws that go against their personal beliefs of justice and equality. The U.S. Constitution supports a freedom of speech, enabling an individual to believe in and state whatever they wish.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil disobedience is a highly controversial subject, and I understand why. There is a huge difference between Martin Luther King Jr, and the riots that are going on right now because Donald Trump got elected as President. Dr. King's protests were peaceful and did not interrupt everyday life, even though he felt strongly about the subject. The protesters now are disrupting the streets and are committing arson and other crimes (such as burning the flag-which is illegal). Dr. King got a lot further getting societal support using his peaceful protests than these anti-Trump protesters are by burning things and hurting people.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil disobedience occurs not only in the society of America, but globally.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In many recent occurrences, American citizens have demonstrated their ignorance towards the definition of civil disobedience by rioting and looting. In order to protest issues in an effective manner, the definition of civil disobedience must be known. Many high ranking historical and modern day figures tend to agree that civil disobedience must have a just cause, it must be an action that disrupts the status quo in some way, and finally, the civil disobedience must be proportional to the impact of the injustice on the rights and the lives of American citizens. In order for “Civil Disobedience” not to devolve into aimless complaining, the civil disobedience must develop out of an injustice perpetrated on a person, a group of people, or a society.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Robert O’Connor Concord High School New Hampshire Like many things in life, civil disobedience, is all a matter of perspective. Whether it be the Great Muhammad Ali peacefully opposing his selection for the draft or Rosa Parks literally sitting down instead of standing up for what is right on a bus ride home, each and every case of civil disobedience has its ups and downs. Though, when talking about basic human rights, there is no room to be neutral, and that is why peaceful resistance to laws most certainly impacts a society positively. From an optimistic perspective, everything will be alright in the end. Despite Ali’s…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil disobedience reminds everyone that it is individuals’ first moral obligation to do what they accept as true and not to conform to laws dictated to them by the majority. Individual’s moral obligation to stand for what is a right surmise that people should refuse…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    History is riddled with instances of civil disobedience. Most would agree that, for some issues, it is required to change a law that is unjust. Even in a society that established a democracy as far back as its ideological conception, some issues seem to be only resolvable through decisive acts of insubordination. A valid point that is often times raised is: what is the point of a democracy if some issues have to be solved through civil disobedience? More specifically, this point is the centerpiece of Lewis H. Van Dusen, Jr.’s essay titled “Civil Disobedience: Destroyer of Democracy.”…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Am I jus for my disobedient acts? I must be jus for each one that I have ever committed. Civil disobedience is a fracture within the law therefore there must a relishable reason to be disobedient. Yet the reason to go against the state would be due to negligence. Justice is associated with the concept of everything plays a natural role, coming from Feinberg and Gross.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays