Their basic altitudes towards the democracy and nonviolence conflict with each other. King’s own account of his philosophy of nonviolence indicated the extent to which he was influenced by Thoreau’s theoretical framework for thinking about civil disobedience and political obligation. Thoreau has confidence in democracy and the belief of unifying individuals of the society to realize it. However, Nietzsche overtly objected to democratic politics, with thinking that love, freedom and democracy are all the results of recognizing the right. Although democratic practices were on the way in the capitalist countries, he asserted that democratic politics possessed no advancement.
This is because Transcendentalists believe the only way to find peace is by being self- reliant. This opinion is repeated in Thoreau’s, “Civil Disobedience Part 1”: “All machines have their friction; and possibly this does enough good to counterbalance the evil… I say, let us not have such a machine any longer” (4). The “friction” Thoreau talks of represents the lack of self-manning that becomes present in society when machines are brought in. This would be an important issue to Transcendentalists as self-manning is key to living life. When the author voices his
Herlinda Lopez MGT 5093 As a leader of the people, Gandhi not only guided the masses in India but inspired numerous across the globe. He stood for peace, unity, love, and acceptance, and his attitude towards his enemies was both an enigma and a lesson. But in his role as leader, Gandhi did not advocate a devotion to himself. Rather, he saw himself as inadequate and imperfect. But this self-insight was key in his ability to lead the people of India.
He wrote that the only place for a just man in an unjust society is in jail. He wrote that when it comes to obeying or disobeying a law a person must always side with their conscience. The point of view of “Civil Disobedience” was that (a) he was born on July 12, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts. His father was a merchant, who lost all of the family’s money and his mother was an active abolitionist who was part of the Underground Railroad. (b) He attended Concord Academy and at the age of 16, he began attending Harvard University.
The phrase “civil disobedience” first originated in an essay, “Resistance to Government,” by the American author Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau promoted the idea that citizens have the right to exercise resistance against laws they see as unjust or morally wrong. Civil disobedience allows a citizen to convey his or her thoughts and ideas in a nonviolent way. Antigone conveyed this when she said, “No one will ever convict me for a traitor” Antigone decided to bury her brother, for she was obeying the gods, even though it
was declared illegal by the King, and even though she knew she would be killed for her actions. Antigone believed that the power of the gods was greater than the power of any king.
Government has its origins in the evil of man and is therefore a necessary evil at best.” He goes on to say that “government's sole purpose is to protect life, liberty and property, and that a government should be judged solely on the basis of the extent to which it accomplishes this goal.” Basically, Paine is stating to the common people that they have the opportunity to form their own representation of government and do it in a way that truly represents their wants and needs. He is also knocking the form of government the British have and elaborating on why they need to separate due to their own needs for America. Paine would later go into more depth of the style of government Great Britain rules with. The second and perhaps most important key point Paine was trying to explain was the Monarchy rule
Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is a public, nonviolent, political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government. The idea of civil disobedience is deeply rooted in our civilization, with examples evident in the life of Socrates, the early Christian society, the writings of Thomas Aquinas and Henry David Thoreau, and theIndian nationalist movement led by Gandhi.The many occurrences of civil disobedience throughout American history have had a profound impact on the legal system and society as a whole. The Constitution does not provide immunity for those who practice civil disobedience, but because the United States is a representative democracy with deep respect for constitutional values, the system is uniquely responsive to acts of civil disobedience.The fundamental justification for civil disobedience is that some persons feel bound by philosophy, religion, morality, or some other principle to disobey a law that they feel is unjust. As martin luther king Jr. , wrote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that his conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law. " Civil disobedience is most justifiable when prior lawful attempts to rectify the situation have failed; and when the acts of civil disobedience are done to force the society to recognize the problem; when performed openly and publicly; and when the actor will accept the punishment.
Hobbes has a negative view upon the state of nature, believing that life for people was barbaric. Opposed to this, Lock believed that man had rights. Government for both was important. Hobbes believes that a government is needed to control the people and keep order. Whereas Locke believes that government has a duty to protect the people.
This is in direct violation with David Hume’s stance on morality. Hume writes that it is desire rather than reason that governs human behavior and that, “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions.” Kant’s conception of duty is based on the notion that all good ought to be done because they are intrinsically good. Duty for Kant is a basis of moral law. For example, one ought to preserve their own life or help feed the homeless because it is their societal duty to do so, not because they want to or that doing so makes them feel good. In fact, according to Kant, a person who hates helping others but does so anyways because they see it as their societal duty is a good moral agent.
He cites the existence of unjust laws and declares that we as citizens should not be obligated to follow them. The basis for this argument is that the government is run by a majority with the most power, not the most valid perspective. This is the reason why Thoreau advises citizens to follow what they believe to be right and not embrace what the government says. Thoreau states that is not a man’s duty to pledge to eradicate all wrongs from his country but that it is one’s duty to “wash his hands” of it and to not support the wrong in anyway (page 183 para13). He continues to tell a story of how he used this method to protest the Mexican American War which was being waged at the time the essay was written.