Just And Unjust Laws In Martin Luther Kings Letter From...

Philosophical thought provides the infrastructure that allows society to author moral laws. While morality may be the aim, other variables can cause these laws to become corrupt. The urge for power is one of many, recurring, variables that infect morality. During these times of ‘infection,’ society must contest those who oppose just laws. In order to shine a light on unjust laws, laws are bound to be broken. It is not only lawful to break unjust laws, but the duty of the people to speak up and be a voice for change. It is critical, during these times, to work towards equilibrium with the goal to change the law. Regardless of the circumstances, it is lawful to break unjust laws with the goal to make them just again. Martin Luther King Jr.†¦show more content†¦If the law is not fair to all, then it is not fair to any. Everyone is crafted from different groups and cultures, but society all has something in common – the soul. Society must realize everyone is not the same, and everyone has a different set of guidelines in which they adhere to. These guidelines must follow this simple idea of just vs. unjust laws. Many of Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophical ideas stem from Socrates. Socrates has many ideas on disobedience, and how it relates to being just or unjust. Author Rex Martin dissects Socrates’ main idea on disobedience, in his journal Socrates on Disobedience to Law, â€Å"It is that, upon reaching man-hood, a citizen by the very fact of staying in a country agrees to abide by the following rule: If one cannot dissuade the authorities from an unjust law then one obeys† (127). Socrates is a firm believer on respecting the authority of the city. It may seem that Socrates argues to initiate a change, and if it fails the people must conform. Martin, however, does not believe that Socrates argues the people must simply adhere to all guidelines. He dives deeper into the mind of Socrates: We can do something with Socrates argument; we can shift his point. For we might regard Socrates ‘agreement’ as satisfying, not the idea of morality, but the idea of ‘good citizenship.’ Thus we could say: the good citizen is one who abides by his countrys laws; if he cannot dissuade the authorities from a law then he obeys it.Show MoreRelatedTone and Writing Technique of Letter from Birmingham Jail876 Words   |  4 PagesTechnique of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† Many times, disagreements fail to bring an understanding to opposing sides because each side has different views on the subject at hand. In his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attempts to establish an adequate definition of â€Å"just† and â€Å"unjust† laws. King knew he could not directly argue his beliefs of segregation because the clergymen made clear they were not impressed with anti-segregationists breaking the law. 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