...- 2 – The LD File Civil Disobedience Index Topic Overview 3-7 Definitions 8-10 Affirmative Cases 11-19 Negative Cases 20-25 Affirmative Extensions 26-34 Civil disobedience worked to free India. 26 Civil disobedience overthrew the communists in Poland. 26 The tradition of civil disobedience in America goes all the way back to the founders. 26 Civil disobedience can serve to prevent situations from escalating into violence. 27 Civil Disobedience has been used to promote peace. 27 Civil disobedience was used to promote racial equality. 27 Civil disobedience is used to try to prevent the destruction of the environment. 27 Civil disobedience is effective at changing the law. 28 Legal channels can take too long. 28 Consent to obey just laws does not imply consent to obey unjust ones. 28 Distinguishing between just and unjust laws to disobey can be universalized. 28 Civil disobedience can be stabilizing to a community by spreading a shared sense of justice. 29 Sometimes it is only the unjustified response to civil disobedience that has harmful consequence. 29 Civil disobedience is traditionally non-violent. 29 Civil disobedience is a form of exercising free speech- which is essential in a democracy. 30 Civil disobedience has been used to fight slave laws 30 Civil disobedience played a role in ending the Vietnam war. 30 Civil disobedience shouldn’t be punished-...
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...What does civil disobedience mean exactly? Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain, as a peaceful form of political protest. Civil disobedience is good because it makes changes with to violent moves. The passages that will be talked about as good examples of civil disobedience are “On Nonviolent Resistance,”, Mohandas K. Gandhi. The next passage is called “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by the one and only, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For the third and last passage, it is called “Civil Disobedience,” by Henry David Thoreau. These passages will make you think differently about what people are capable of. In “On Nonviolent Resistance,” Mohandas K. Gandhi writes about how violence isn’t always key to making changes. It can only...
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...fact is, civil disobediance is not only positive in a free society, but neccessary. In addition, the idea of restricting civil disobedience is near to fascism. The ideology that the people not be allowed to peacefully protest or disobey certain sets of rules put in place is too restrictive in a country claiming to be the land of the free. We the people did not sign up to live in a country that gets to choose what our opinions look like to the rest of the world....
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...To define civil disobedience is first and foremost, to understand the ultimate goal of such an act as well as to define what dictates laws to be just or unjust. Is the ultimate goal the need for power and/or the need for peace? How does one decide what dictates just or unjust laws. Is it conscience alone, moral conviction or just a blatant abuse of power? The concept of morality in its goal either way, must be questioned. The moral divide that can occur in fighting a cause is full of variables. The division between the moral convictions of one’s conscience can collide with man’s law and injustice. One constant variable will always remain, and that, is the pursuit of one’s ultimate goal. “A simplistic definition of civil disobedience provides...
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...also be one the most effective way to get noticed. If an opinion is not being noticed, citizens can make it a priority to be heard because without a voice there can be no guidelines. In government, boundaries are needed to lead its citizens towards a righteous path; however, if a citizen leans toward another path of righteousness a voice is needed to be heard. Citizens should not be lurking in the shadows and keeping an opinion bottled up to never be heard. If an idea or belief gets shot down, a citizen can try again to make their idea noticed. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses civil disobedience in “ Letter from Birmingham Jail,” as “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (173). Although civil disobedience can alter life drastically, it does not mean to continue on the path of insanity, but to stand up for what you believe is just. While standing up for justice is admirable, however, it is not always easy. In Iran, the government can take disciplinary action towards its citizens striking fear and panic into their souls. In the book The Complete Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi, in which she discusses a hectic life in Iran. In chapter fourteen “The Wine,” Satrapi discusses how the government takes disciplinary action towards the citizens who chose to rebel by having a party. The citizens found at the party are thrown in jail or are physically abused (103-110). Although...
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...30 April 2013 Civil Disobedience When should civil disobedience be justified? Civil disobedience is defined as the refusal to obey government laws, in an effort to bring upon a change in governmental policy or legislation. Civil disobedience is not an effort to dissolve the American government, because without government our society would result in chaos. Sometimes, when there is an unjust law and the government won't take the initiative to fix it, the public must act as civil disobedient to bring awareness and fix the unjust law. There have been times when citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government because of an issue that is unjust. There were such cases during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau made such actions to prove their point. Civil disobedience is justified when its goal is to obtain equal rights and service for everyone, without causing physical damage to people and their property, and without breaking the just laws that are already enforced. It should only be practiced when the government fails to uphold justice and fix laws that don't allow everyone the equal rights already given to some. In his essay, "Civil Disobedience" Thoreau wrote in 1849 after spending a night in the Walden town jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that supported the Mexican War. He recommended passive resistance as a form of tension that could lead to reform of unjust laws practiced by the government. He voiced civil disobedience as "An expression...
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...Civil Disobedience Civil Disobedience was a common topic between Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Each of these historic figures had varying views on what should be accepted in the light of civil disobedience. Thoreau felt that there should be a more violent take on what you believed in, while Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. felt that the people should have a peaceful nonviolent protest. The views of these offers vary due to the time period but they are all based on the same idea, civil disobedience. Thoreau, Gandhi, and King Jr. all expressed their views of civil disobedience differently. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he expressed his own ideas of civil disobedience with his words and actions. He showed his disagreement with the government’s policies by refusing to pay his taxes, and not reacting to how he was treated when he was jailed for the night. He believed that “the government is best which governs least” (Thoreau 392). In saying this he means that he would like to see a government that does not control the people harshly and lets them express their thoughts freely. Hare and Madden believe that civil disobedience should be “directed specifically to exert pressure that is likely to change an unjust situation” (Parker 37). While Thoreau suggests a more forceful approach, Gandhi hopes for a passive approach, Gandhi suggests a more peaceful approach when dealing with civil disobedience. He believes that if the people use force to acquire what...
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...Condemning Civil Disobedience Recurringly, civil disobedience is an abstract idea revolutionaries made to combat unjust legislature. Unjust legislature should be dealt with accordingly, but civil disobedience is not that way. Natural rights as a citizen should not doubt preserved, but when it comes to subduing unjust law, sometimes the best option is to just let it persist. Doing nothing is better than disorganizing your country through civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the nonviolent protesting of oppressed or unjustly treated groups, usually resulting in unlawful acts. These acts are driven by passion, pain, and desire to reform the government. But in reality, is civil disobedience the correct approach to having your voice heard? Thoreau stands to civil disobedience saying, “ Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” [Thoreau, Paragraph 16]. The acts are claimed to be moral and to benefit the public, however, these limelight “martyrs” are radicals in reality. Going against the law in any shape or form is unpatriotic and when one might say the government themselves go against the law themselves, sadly that is not your place to take action against. Checks and balances are upheld to make sure unjust or...
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...case against civil disobedience "its a question asking is the problem simply that whites have power and blacks do not?" . I think this is true because I feel that whites had more freedom then the blacks did . But I feel that everyone should be treated equally.In seeking to improve tomorrow, it is our duty to remember where we have been and reflect on where we are"I think this is saying that tomorrow will better only if we do not make the same mistakes we did it the past . Its saying we have to improve .If we had a peaceful to laws to positively impact to a free society it would be better...
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...are practicing the rights to protect, assemble peaceably, and oppose laws, as stated in the First Amendment. While to some, civil disobedience may seem as an idea that destroys a society, to others (including myself) is just another way to bring about awareness and change to a society. In Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", civil disobedience is shown throughout King's actions. King's peaceful protest movements showed resistance to several negative impacts of injustice. In the essay, King states that although Alabama clergymen were criticizing his actions, his argument was...
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...In Antigone, Sophocles presents a perfect example of civil disobedience. Antigone does what she feels she morally needs to do, no matter the consequences that she will be faced with afterwards. She disobeys the laws of state in order to be true to herself. Fate deals Antigone a bad hand, but she is able to stand up for what she believes in and give her brother what she feels that he rightly deserves. After Antigone’s brothers kill each other fighting over the power to rule, Creon becomes the new ruler. He sees Polynices as a traitor because Polynices brought in troops to attack Thebes. Creon does not feel he deserves a proper religious burial; He forbids anyone to burying Polynices. Creon thinks his body should just rot instead. Burial was very important in this time because they believed a proper burial was essential for afterlife. Antigone thinks her brother deserves to be buried and she will not let anything stop her from giving Polynices a proper burial. Antigone is following her moral compass and disregarding Creon’s opinions on the matter. It is important that Antigone was a hero and stood up for what she believed. Civil disobedience is doing what is morally justified even if it does break laws of the state. Civil disobedience is necessary for change to occur. Without people, or heroes, like Antigone, government or even life would never improve. Some rules are meant to be broken. Government is meant to be for the people, but sometimes laws can only benefit...
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...Ivyanne London Dr. Bryan English 2010 7 December 2012 The Bhagavad- Gita: Influence on Civil Disobedience Advocates Civil disobedience can be described as the nonviolent means of bringing about social change. The Bhagavad- Gita is a philosophical poem that attempts to ask difficult questions of universal issues that deal with the topic of civil disobedience. The messages that are told throughout the poem have had major influences on civil disobedience advocates such as Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. This work offers explanations that can be applied to dilemmas that can’t be resolved with a simple form of action. According to the Theosophical Society of America, The Bhagavad- Gita, commonly known as the “Gita” has been passed back and forth between America and India through these civil disobedience activists. They each had influences on each other along with the Gita. Some reoccurring themes that may have influenced Thoreau, Gandhi, and King include questions about the right way to live, seeking higher knowledge, and how no action is still a form of action. The version of The Bhagavad- Gita that is told in The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 3rd edition, begins with the moment of crisis in Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna is the middle son of his five brothers who are apart of the Pandavas. He is apart of the warrior caste and is the most skilled and feared archer of his time. They are about to engage in war with their cousins, the Kauravas, because...
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...Civil disobedience is the act of refusal against laws, taxes, or demands by a government usually staying peaceful in nature. Martin Luther King Jr. and Antigone implement civil disobedience to defy unjust law; however, both approaches used to go against the wrong laws are different. Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader for the civil rights movement to put an end to segregation through civil disobedience by stressing the importance of peacefully protesting; while Antigone purposely went against the law, knowing the consequences, to follow God’s law instead of man-made law in a holy effort to bury her late brother Polyneices. Martin Luther King Jr. goes against unjust laws through civil disobedience by initiating peaceful protests. He believed that using nonviolent tactics are better at showing the immorality the unjust laws’ and calls for black people to fight the long battle against segregation. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, he reveals the unjust treatment going on in Birmingham and why it is important for him to be there helping, “Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already...
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...OUTLINE CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION A. Introductory Statement B. Statement of the Problem C. Significance of the Study D. Theoretical Framework E. Scope and Limitation F. Review of Related Literature CHAPTER TWO: JOHN RAWLS PHILOSOPHY A. Biography of John Rawls CHAPTER THREE: PHILIPPINE TAXATION A. Concept of Taxation B. Nature of Taxation and Its purpose C. Concept of Income Taxation D. Purpose of Taxation E. Current Uses of Taxation CHAPTER FOUR: SOCIAL JUSTICE IN TAXATION A. Social Justice B. Principles of Justice C. Well Ordered Society D. Original Position E. Veil of Ignorance F. Civil Disobedience CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION A. INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT The works of John Rawls was basically centered on justice as depicted on his work “Theory of Justice” and “Political Liberalism. John Rawls is considered to be one of the most influential philosophers during his time as he specialized in the concept of justice and fairness as a tool for attaining social justice in the society. His works received various criticisms since it may be viewed as unrealistic but though it may be criticized, his works are one of the influential and most bought book and already translated in various language to be used as curriculum in philosophy classes. Rawls differentiate the concept of justice and fairness as he tried to show that the idea of justice is fairness and...
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...Civil disobedience is referred to as “the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences”. It’s a pretty touchy subject because you have to keep in mind WHAT they are opposing; but it’s all opinion. You might think ___ is unfair, but that doesn’t mean everyone globally thinks it’s unfair. It’s a touchy subject because there is no unanimous, decisive, global thoughts or feelings on everything. When someone asks for an example of “civil disobedience”, what comes to mind? For many, Dr. Martin Luther Kings “Letter from Birmingham Jail” comes to mind; where a peaceful demonstration against segregation and racial terror throws one of the most influential civil rights leaders in jail. The...
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