Philosophy assignment

PHL162 Assignment 6

1. What is Martin Luther King Jr.’s answer to the question “how do you determine when a law is just or unjust”? What does it tell you about his understanding of morality (make explicit the connection between his answer and a view we discussed earlier in the term) a few sentences.

2. Some people think that according to social contract theory, we are morally required to obey the law “because we each participate in a social system that promises more benefits than burdens. The benefits are the benefits of social living: We escape the state of nature and live in a society in which we are secure and enjoy basic rights. To gain these benefits, we agree to uphold the institutions that make the possible. This means that we [are morally required] to obey the law, pay our taxes, serve on juries, and so forth—these are the burdens we accept in return” (Rachels, 94).

Which parts of Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter would help him respond to this and defend acts of civil disobedience even within a Social Contract Theory? Explain how and why the response might go. Do you think the response can succeed? Why, why not? (If needed, bring up what you think of the moral permissibility of civil disobedience more generally and why/how you think it can be defended (or not)). 200 words.