King

RESPOND TO THESE 3 STUDENTS

Joseph Volpi

King, Socrates, and Thoreau all had different viewpoints on the topic of civil obedience. Although they all lived in different periods of time, their views coincide with each other very frequently. King believed that one must obey the law and be conscious of their actions when thinking of legal punishment. There are consequences for every action, which is what King believed in as a whole. King was not on board with Socrates and his view of the law. King felt that it was just to disobey laws that could be deemed unjust. Although King was not a philosophist, he took many ideas from Socrates and Thoreau and formed his own viewpoint based on that. King would probably be more in agreement with Thoreau, as their views on laws and when breaking a law are very similar. They both feel that even though breaking a law is not a proper thing to do, they both think that breaking a law that is morally wrong should not be deemed to be an unjust action. 

Both Thoreau and King believed in standing up to the government and not bowing down to them, and believing everything they say as well. This holds true for King, as much of his movement was to free people from what the government had as a law in place at that time. 

I personally agree with King and Thoreau that breaking laws that are unjust shouldn’t be deemed as wrong. Although, I think the bias that comes into this discussion is what is really an unjust law, and who can tell if a law is justifiable or not? To say Socrates is wrong is not completely far off, especially by today’s standards of critical processing. For many of us today, we think that it is the right thing to do to obey every law and agree with every law out there, without much questioning in between.

Arline Urena

King says that everyone has a moral responsibility to obey the just laws and a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. He explains how laws are made by humans, and humans unfortunately throughout history create these laws based on discrimination against each other. King shows how there are two types of laws (just and unjust) that are both created in certain aspects. In the 1950s segregation laws were still in place and people were “required” to follow them. Realistically these laws were very unjust to the point where they weren't just at all to follow. An unjust law is simply not a law at all, which shouldn't be inexistent. King would agree with Thoreu’s and Socrate’sapproach with their views because they agreed in not following these unjust laws often there are punishments that you must be able be ready for it. Where this will represent the moral force of righteousness to accept any type of punishment rather than just fleeing. I agree the most with Socrates considering he was honorable to die to the view of his own principles and then have to follow the unjust laws that were in place, he was still loyal to fight for his society.

Alecia GordonTop of Form

In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. argues that individuals have a moral obligation to obey just laws and a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. King believes that individuals must obey just laws because they are necessary for maintaining a stable and functional society. On the other hand, King argues that individuals must disobey unjust laws because these laws violate fundamental human rights and are contrary to the moral law.

King's ideas are similar to Thoreau's in "Civil Disobedience," where Thoreau argues that individuals have a duty to resist unjust laws and to disobey them peacefully. Both King and Thoreau believe in civil disobedience as a form of nonviolent resistance against unjust laws.

King's ideas differ from Socrates' in "Crito," where Socrates argues that individuals must obey the laws of the state, even if they are unjust. Socrates believes that disobeying the law would lead to chaos and the breakdown of society. King, on the other hand, believes that disobedience to unjust laws is necessary for progress and social change.

To answer the question, King says that someone must obey the law when the law is just and promotes the well-being of all members of society. However, he also believes that when the law is unjust, individuals have a moral duty to disobey it, and to do so peacefully and nonviolently. King argues that disobeying unjust laws can bring attention to the injustice and create social change.

Personally, I agree more with King's ideas on civil disobedience and the obligation to disobey unjust laws. I believe that unjust laws go against our fundamental human rights and that disobedience can lead to progress and social change. However, I also believe that disobedience must be peaceful and nonviolent to avoid violence and destruction.

                                      References

Biffle, C. (1988).  Plato: A guided tour of five works. Mayfield Publishing Company. 

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