The quotation bears a much closer resemblance to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s comment in his famous letter from Birmingham Jail: "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Please format your response according to MLA guidelines for margins, spacing, font, heading, and page numbers. King also says, “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. “ONE HAS A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DISOBEY UNJUST LAWS.” ― MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. – In his “letter from Birmingham jail” Martin Luther King jr. writes about something he calls ‘just’ and ‘unjust’ laws. In his words: It is not only moral, but a moral obligation to disobey. He makes a clear distinction between both of them. Would you break an unjust law to save your child’s life. © 2002-2020 LotsOfEssays.com. Trump at 'serious risk' of COVID-19 complications. A person's decision whether or not to obey an unjust law will be determined by his or her own moral beliefs. He cites St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to justify this latter claim. He cites St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to justify this latter claim. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." Explain the evidence he provides and evaluate how this evidence supports his arguments. The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. He insists that everyone has a “legal” and “moral responsibility” to follow just laws, but that one equally “has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (174). Henry David Thoreau was born into the modest New England family of a pen-maker. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Jefferson served two terms as the nation’s third president. "Civil disobedience" and "criminal disobedience" are synonymous phrases. The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all. He offers the specific example of segregation statutes, which he argues are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality (Kin, 721). We would continue to face consequences that go against basic human rights. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. With a childhood surrounded by rivers, woods, and meadows, he became an avid student of nature. Moral Responsibility to Disobey Unjust Laws? Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." 1 1. How does King develop his claim that “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”? To be sure, modern laws are made to express the general will, a will that aims at the common good. Moral Responsibility to Disobey Unjust Laws? Martin Luther King, Jr.: We have a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. Conclusion I pressed passed all the hard work I found how inspiring passing on knowledge can be. – Martin Luther King, Jr. Prev post Next post. He insists that everyone has a “legal” and “moral responsibility” to follow just laws, but that one equally “has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (174). This doesn't mean just choosing which laws to obey and which not to obey. One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws (Martin Luther King Jr) Standard t-shirt (unisex) ... Special Note: Mineral Wash colors have a slight yellow tint and not one is the same due to the special dye process; Imported; processed and printed in the U.S.A. The phrase also resembles a 1963 quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in which he states, “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. "Moral Responsibility to Disobey Unjust Laws?." I finally see how rewarding being a unjust laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. The final test of truth is ridicule. His friend and mentor, the equally famous essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson offered the following psychological portrait of Thoreau: “He was bred to no profession; he never married; he lived alone; he never went to church; he never voted; he refused to pay a tax to the State; he ate no flesh; he drank no wine; he never knew the … The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. Martin Luther King's words, which just correspond with the above assertion, perfectly tell us what to do in face of laws, either just or unjust. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail So there comes a moment when ‘One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws’, the slogan of Meat The Victims. Lots of Essays. Spotlight on Trump physician after health update I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. ” On the other hand, an unjust law is a human law that is "not rooted in eternal law and natural law" (King, 721). @jamesmassola @ljayes It is hardly a new concept: "One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." He cites St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to justify this claim. A just law conforms to the “moral law or the law of God,” while an unjust law is “out of harmony with the moral law.” He goes further to define a just law as one which “uplifts human personality,” while an unjust law “degrades human personality.” He insists that unjust laws punish not only the segregated (since he is a victim of persecution) but also the segregator (since he is given a “false sense of inferiority”). All papers are for research and reference purposes only! I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Very few dogmas have ever faced it and survived. One has a Moral Responsibility to Disobey Unjust Laws. One thought on “ One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St.… And a person's moral beliefs will be formed according to their religious beliefs and/or their personal convictions. He defines a just law as a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. All Rights Reserved. Today is Mar­tin Luther King Jr. Day, and like we do every year in hon­or of Dr. King’s mem­o­ry, I’m post­ing an excerpt from his Let­ter From Birm­ing­ham Jail. King makes an acknowledgement of the distinction between “just and unjust” laws (174). He was invoking the principle of civil disobedience, the idea that man has a moral duty to disobey laws that were morally wrong. Staunch segregationists believed in the moral superiority of whites. Conversely one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” He is using the example of certain Nazi laws. I envy the joy of teachers, they get the pleasure of seeing generation after generation take what they have learned and do something with it. Consequently, to them, the segregation statutes were just laws that it was their moral responsibility to uphold and protect. And it doesn't mean that you're above the law. One has both a legal and a moral duty to obey just laws, and one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. The answer “is found in the fact that there are two kinds of laws: just laws … and unjust laws. Explain the evidence he provides and evaluate how this evidence supports his arguments. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Style: Men / Unisex Fit: Normal fit King states that an unjust law is no law at all (King, 721). In King's words, "[s]egregation is an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness" (King, 721). Copyright © 1999 - 2020 GradeSaver LLC. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Such disobedience must be done openly, however, and with a willingness to accept consequences such as imprisonment. LotsofEssays.com, (December 31, 1969). I certainly know I would. How does King develop his claim that “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”? And a person's moral beliefs will be formed according to their religious beliefs and/or their personal convictions. King makes an acknowledgement of the distinction between “just and unjust” laws (174). Not affiliated with Harvard College. A person's decision whether or not to obey an unjust law will be determined by his or her own moral beliefs. I'm checking to see if we need a review of this material from 1301. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. By relegating people to the status of things, segregation statutes are politically, economically, and sociologically unsound as well as morally wrong and sinful. Rock drummer: I was drinking 2 gallons of vodka a day. MLK believed this applied to laws also. (1969, December 31). ~Martin Luther King, Jr. The Nazis occupied my country (The Netherlands) as … Lots of Essays, "Moral Responsibility to Disobey Unjust Laws?.," LotsofEssays.com, https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1686830.html (accessed December 20, 2020). “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. tags: activism, civil-disobedience, dissent, protest Read more quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. One Has the Moral Responsibility To Disobey Unjust Laws 25th March 2018: 'The Martin Luther King quote - this article's title - goes for all of us,' writes Morgan Taylor 'and my dad is living up to it.' In defining what are eternal and natural laws, King states that any law that degrades human personality is unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. He provides definitions to distinguish between just and unjust laws. The Bible has numerous examples of people who disobeyed mans laws in order to obey God. Doctor King read 2 important documents, the Holy Bible and the Declaration of Independence. Martin Luther King Jr. #QT — Graham Perrett (@GrahamPerrettMP) March 15, 2017 ” It seems I have arrived at the same conclusion King has. 20 Dec. 2020. King establishes first a difference between just and unjust laws and then states that the individual has a moral responsibility to follow just laws and to disobey unjust laws. King also provides definitions to help us distinguish between just and unjust laws. The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” READ: The Ban Is Not About National Security Historically, when the U.S. government has … The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. "One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." Post navigation. In these pas­sages, Dr. King is explain­ing that not all laws are cre­at­ed equal. Martin Luther King Jr. argues that “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (4) while Socrates, in Plato’s dialogue, asks if “a city can continue to exist and not be turned upside down, if the legal judgments which are pronounced in it have no … In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. argues that there are two types of laws: just and unjust (King, 721). LotsofEssays.com. Citing Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, Dr. King notes that segregation turns people to “things,” and hence degrades all personality (175). White Liberals are the Most Racist People. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws,” King said, “but conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” How does one determine whether the law is just or unjust? I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. Where would we be if Martin Luther king never said, “one has the moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” Things would never change. Notably, however, the drafters of the segregation codes would likely argue that the segregation statutes were legally and morally sound because they were intended to prevent the contamination of the superior white race by the inferior black race. One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. He contends that while one has a legal and moral responsibility to obey just laws, one also has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws (King, 721). He insists that everyone has a “legal” and “moral responsibility” to follow just laws, but that one equally “has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (174). I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. Significantly, they relied on the same God to which King referred to justify the segregation statutes. Moral Responsibility to Disobey Unjust Laws?. In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 16:34, December 20, 2020, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1686830.html. Watch the whole interview here: Once the coronavirus restrictions are down, there will be Meat The Victims actions in Australia, Israel, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Nothern Ireland, Spain and England. DMCA An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. Web. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’ So let me just finish by asking what would YOU do? Of whites evidence he provides definitions to help us distinguish between just and unjust laws ” he is the. Be sure, modern laws are made to express the general will, a will aims. Out of harmony with the moral law has a moral responsibility to disobey purposes. 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