Ghandi's Model Of Civil Disobedience

Civil disobedience has been used as a means of political protest for decades. The formulated and philosophical model of civil disobedience was conceived by the famous Henry David Thoreau, and since then has been used as a method by some of the most influential people in our history in order to send a clear message to the government that things need to change. Martin Luther King Jr. along with other renowned advocates, such as Ghandi used civil disobedience, or nonviolent social protests to gain the attention of the government, which in most cases was incredibly effective. Therefore, civil disobedience has long been a topic of controversy, as well as an enormously effective and moral means of protest.

A civil disobedient differs greatly …show more content…
It is a fine line between the two, but the line is there, and it is made up of incentive. For me, reasoning and motivation are what separates a civil disobedient from an offender of the law, but to others there is no reasoning that separates the two. The reason that incentive propels me to believe that a civil disobedient is doing what they are doing for the good of society is because they take into account all their actions to get to where they stand. All actions are done with a moral purpose, sometimes even being incarcerated to prove a point. Depending on their situation, they will ordinarily try and get their voices heard by lobbying, advocating, petitioning, and through other positive steps to get the attention of policy makers. It is when they are not sparking a response that they will have to begin using different, more assertive, yet non aggressive means. If civil disobedience is a last resort, rather than a first resort, then it is justified. Here is another example of why incentive is what separates that fine line. A regular offender of the law will simply break the law, but their incentive is not to prompt a positive change in the …show more content…
First off, those who object to the act of civil disobedience understand the fact that living in this country, the United States of America, one has the political obligation to abide, and live by the laws of the state. This idea is similar to the ideas we have discussed in class in the story Crito, where Socrates does not wish to escape jail because he has a political obligation to his home, Athens. Here, we come face to face with the same idea, which is the idea that civil disobedience is a direct defiance of political obligation, which is the foundation of this very country. So for people who have contrasting views from mine, they do believe, no matter the circumstance or intention, that civil disobedience should be punished, and that the government should undoubtedly punish them. Without punishment, the political obligation of the citizens of this country will no longer exist. Consequently, punishment serves as protective blanket in order for our country to remain running smoothly and