Alex Cavanaugh
Writing 122
30 January 2017
Order or Chaos Without authority our world would fall to pieces. We need to have an overhead power that keeps citizens in check. In the text, “Civil Disobedience”, it is argued that the government should back off and do less governing of the people or even maybe no governing at all. I believe this is false and we need an authority for our wellbeing. It is more beneficial for citizens and their well being when the government has control over society, puts effort into enforcing the laws, and rules with a strong hand that shows dominance. "The government is best which governs least” (Thoreau 76), Or is it? Should the American people be free to disobey laws they consider unjust? Thoreau talks about these issues in his essay, Civil Disobedience. Thoreau is strongly convinced that a government that pretty much does not govern at all is the best government. His reasoning is that the American people are the ones who keep the country safe, not the government. Thoreau is convinced …show more content…
Thoreau says in his text, “Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” (Thoreau 81). He is stating the argument that if a person finds a certain law to be unjust, they should not obey that law but instead go beyond the bounds of it and not obey it. He thinks that one should do what is right rather than respect for the law. Which contradicts itself because the law is a law for a reason and we as a society trust that what the laws are, are best for our wellbeing. The law may seem unreasonable at times and that is a normal thing for everyone to think, but it is in the best interest for our country and having a few laws that you do not believe are just is better than having no laws at all and total chaos in the world we live