Dr. King believed his disobedience of the so-called "Jim Crow" law in Alabama was conscionable because he believed these laws were using men as means to an end rather than an end in themselves. In "Ethical Demands for Integration" King quoted Kant on his formulation of the Categorical Imperative "all men must be treated as ends and never as mere means." King believed that treating men as means reduced them down to objects rather than human beings. King said "But man is not a thing. He must be dealt with, not as an animated tool, but as a person sacred in himself. To do otherwise is to depersonalize the potential person and desecrate what he is."
I do believe his rationale should apply to other laws that some may consider unjust as well.
I do believe his rationale should apply to other laws that some may consider unjust as well.