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Thoreau and unjust laws
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“How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave’s government also.” Thoreau was right. Someone should not be associated with this government. Especially if you don’t agree with laws that you believe are unfair or unreasonable. This injustice has been happening for years. I believe we should not have to follow laws we do not agree with and put a stop to this now. People who do not agree with the laws because they believe they are not fair or right, should not be forced to follow them. Why follow something you do not believe in? Laws should not …show more content…
Yet people have to betray what they believe in sometimes because they are forced to follow the laws. Why does the government not think about what people think about laws? We do deserve to have a say in what goes in this country. Maybe we should even have more say than the government, since the people are the ones who give the money to use for what the government wants. The government can be making a decision that will lead the country to a bad place, yet the people can’t really do anything about it. It is all unjust. Like Thoreau stated, “But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it.” Some people might disagree and believe that the government knows what’s best for us that’s why we have to follow laws. But once again I contradict this. The government is made out of people just like us. One of us can have a chance of having more knowledge than one of them. So what makes them more than us? We might make better decisions since we see everything going on around. They may think they know what is best yet sometimes lead the country lower to the ground. We know what is best for us. In conclusion, laws should not be followed if one disagrees with them or believes they do not make justice. We should have the right to speak out for what we want. If one does not agree ith something, they should be able to keep
In Henry Thoreau’s essay, Resistance to Civil Government, the harmless actions he takes to rebel against the government are considered acts of civil disobedience. He talks about how the government acts wrongful such as, slavery and the Mexican-American war. This writing persuades Nathaniel Heatwole, a twenty-year-old college student studying at Guildford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, to take matters into his own hands, by smuggling illegal items on multiple Southwest airplanes. The reason in that being, is to show the people that our nation is unsafe and dangerous. In doing this, he takes his rebellion one step too far, by not only jeopardizing his life, but as well as many other innocent lives.
In the great era of foundational philosophers, two stand out, Plato and Thoreau. Each had their own opinion on various topics, especially on civil disobedience. Plato’s life span was approximately 428-348 BC. Plato wrote numerous works throughout his lifetime, however we will be focusing on one, the Crito. Thoreau’s life span was 1817-1862. To help us determine what civil disobedience means to both of these philosophers we will first look at a general definition. According to Merriam-Webster civil disobedience is defined as “refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government.” This definition will act as a springboard to compare and contrast both of their thoughts on the topic. We will determine, according to Plato and Thoreau, when we are called to engage in civil disobedience and when the moral parameters of civil disobedience are pushed too far.
In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau claims that men should act from their conscience. Thoreau believed it was the duty of a person to disobey the law if his conscience says that the law is unjust. He believed this even if the law was made by a democratic process. Thoreau wrote that a law is not just, only because the majority votes for it. He wrote, “Can there not be a government in which the majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?” (Thoreau, P. 4). Thoreau wanted a government in the United States that would make the just laws based on conscience, because the people of the country would not let the elected representatives be unfair. Thoreau did not think people can disobey any law when they want to. He believed that people should obey just laws; however, Thoreau thought that not all laws were right, and he wrote that a man must obey what is right, not what is the law: “It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right” (Thoreau, P. 4).
By definition justice means the quality of being just or fair. The issue then stands, is justice fair for everyone? Justice is the administration of law, the act of determining rights and assigning rewards or punishments, "justice deferred is justice denied.” The terms of Justice is brought up in Henry David Thoreau’s writing, “Civil Disobedience.”
On Socrates’ point of view either the disobedience to the law or to the civil disobedience can be justified. To justify it correctly you have to be able to argue and find reasons for every given rule. Not just believe in what others say.
Laws are structured and implemented to benefit the masses. Unfortunately this objective is not always achieved. The constitution of the states is considered the best work of law yet it is unable to save the life of a child. Clearly the problem of violence is turning more into a socio-cultural and psychological problem than a legal one. However laws still need to be implemented justly in order to preserve the freedom and rights of me...
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a philosopher and writer who is well known for his criticism of the American government during the time. During Thoreau’s life, there were two major issues being debated in the United States: slavery and the Mexican-American War. Both issues greatly influenced his essay, as he actually practiced civil disobedience in his own life by refusing to pay taxes in protest of the Mexican War. He states that the government should be based on conscience and that citizens should refuse to follow the law and have the duty not to participate and stay as a member of an unjust institution like the government. I argue that the notion of individualism and skepticism toward government is essential to the basis of many important reform movements in the modern society.
furthermore, I would argue that it’s hard to really do anything without self- interest coming into play. I would also argue that the one of the biggest reasons that government was created was to protect the people who sought to be governed by it. At the end of the day the government was just doing one of the many things it was built for: making the hard decisions no else really wants to really
Starting with perspective one I would like to point out the key points. Laws are there to provide peace and avoid chaos, although we should follow the laws if there are things that people may disagree with. Instead of just keeping quiet they should have the right to speak out about it without necessarily breaking the law. Breaking the law wont make it change but discussion of why the law is unjust and why the law was put in place in the first place is bound to make more progress than breaking the law to prove a point. Perspective two, I don't completely agree with the statement that people have a moral obligation to break laws that are unjust, unfair, or immoral. I would more say the entirety of perspective two will get you no where but in trouble and in jail or in legal trouble with the law.
I think there are always times when disobeying a law is morally justified. "They are sometimes unfair and repressive; common sense, social custom, and religion already provide enough guidance; and morality can never be legislated" (Kessler 154). Thoreau argued that any given law is not as high or not above what you believe in or what your conscious tells you is right. "We all have a moral duty to obey our consciences" (Kessler 154). I believe it is very clear how I stand on the subject of civil disobedience. After researching this topic and formulating my own opinions I have learned a great deal about my morals and myself. It simply shocks me when I think of the accomplishments of people like King, Gandhi, and Thoreau.
The pursuit of happiness may sometimes require a person to oppose laws that they find to be unjust. Freedom of speech is a protected right of all citizens of the United States, but there are times when people also have to take action to make their voices heard. As long as doing so does not encroach upon the legal rights of others, peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. As Henry David Thoreau states in his essay, Civil Disobedience,"There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly." If a democracy is a government created by the people and for the people, when it fails to do this well, the people have a responsibility to point it out.
This argument is commonly centered on the conviction that citizens cannot justify breaking laws they simply do not agree with. Morris Leibman, in “Civil Disobedience: A Threat to Our Law Society”, argues this by stating, “[freedom] exists only within the confines of the necessary restraining measures of society.” In other words, Leibman believes that certain constraints are necessary in order to create and reinforce freedom and liberty. This is a rational point, echoing the Enlightenment concept of the Social Contract: the theory that people, when living in a society, must forfeit certain liberties to gain others. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in The Social Contract, states, “Conventions and laws are … needed to join rights to duties and refer justice to its object.” By this, he means that, to maintain a level or order and, thus, justice in a society, laws must be created and followed. However, Rousseau also declares that “to renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties.” This shows that though laws are essential to the success of a society, they cannot impede liberty. Such an act removes the humanity of the
Many citizens break the law created by the government for a specific reason you would never expect. People either break the law because they find it unnecessary or unjust. People should break the law if one is the agent of injustice. They should follow their morals. Although others might say that you should always obey the law and not risk breaking it and paying the consequences. Others also say that going against the law and the government could lead to corruption and rebellion. Henry David Thoreau’s claim makes sense that one should break the law if one is the agent of injustice as demonstrated in Antigone, Civil Disobedience, and Hero or Traitor.
Laws are made and enforced for a reason.No matter how bad or ridiculous a law may seem it is to benefit and protect the well being of the people.If people break or "peacefully resist" then there is no point in having the law.Sure the person who resisted the law will face the consequences but at what cost the damage is done and if the punishment is not sever enough then more and more people will begin to follow and resist the law as well and eventually something bad will happen that the law could have prevented.For example there has been occasions where people are speeding or not obeying the driving laws and when they are confronted by an officer of the law they claim to be free inhabitants which they claim gives them an immunity to most laws
It’s amazing that every aspect of our lives is dictated by “LAWS”. Our society has accepted these laws as truths. People need to be more informed on their rights as human beings. For example, ever notice your name on your driver's license is all in capitals, this is known as Capitus Diminutio Maxima, (Kymatica) which means we are considered a corporation, or artificial person and not a natural human being. Meaning we are considered, still to this day slaves to the government. People need to spread the word to make this change in our society, wake up and educate themselves and truly learn and understand what it means to be free natural human beings.