...Do You Hear People Sing? — A Brief Analysis of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience Abstract: Civil disobedience is the valuable spiritual wealth of American spirits. From Henry David Thoreau to Martin Luther King, civil disobedience theory also had developed into a new stage. American people began to commonly accept and practice the civil disobedience theory, which pushed American Civil Rights Movement forward. This essay focuses on the origination of the civil disobedience and briefly introduces its development. Key Words: Civil disobedience Conscience Government 1、 Thoreau’s Imprisonment The Mexican-American war, which started from 1846, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico over the territorial dispute of Texas. Most abolitionists and transcendentalists were against this war, because they thought that this war was an act of a bullying government anxious to grab land from a weaker nation. Some even thought this war was a conspiracy of the southern slaveholders. Then Texas admitted slavery, while Mexico forbade slavery. They regarded this war as the expansion of slavery, which could strengthen the influence of the south in federation. Therefore the abolitionists and transcendentalists did their best to resist this war. Among them, Henry David Thoreau was a famous representative. Thoreau did not agree this aggressive war. To resist, he refused to pay the Massachusetts poll tax, which was a “per head” tax imposed on...
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...Pro Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is a righteous way for a person or a group to make their point to the world. Great leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dr. MLK) and Mohandas K. Gandhi (Gandhi) harnessed the idea and brought it to its prominence. Civil disobedience in its purest form is a particularly strong concept because it requires a self-purification process. This process enlightens civil resisters to the reality of longsuffering for a cause without any type of retaliation. Also, there are arguments against civil disobedience. One such argument is “wait” because change will come. Another is that civil disobedience precipitates violence. These arguments are extremely weak. Because of these weak arguments along with the strong concept of self-purification, I am a proponent of civil disobedience. Dr. MLK was a firm believer in the self-purification process. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, he speaks of undertaking a process of self-purification. “We began a series of workshops on nonviolence and we repeatedly asked ourselves: ‘Are you able to accept blows without retaliation?’ ‘Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail (King 158)?’” Dr. MLK knew that in order to appeal to the public, they must endure the punishment without retaliation. This is explained when he says, “Laying out our case before the conscience of the local and national community (King 158).” Dr. MLK had a grasp on the notion that if his people were to become violent, they...
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...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 in justice we can be assured...
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...Civil Disobedience Essay Thoreau expresses the Transcendentalist belief that all people must live as individuals, not as mindless parts of a society that may or may not be just. He claims that citizens have the power to create a better government, but they are afraid to take a stand and make changes without the support of the majority. An example of this is Gandhi’s Salt March against the British, who put a tax on their staple ingredient, salt. This is how Gandhi’s vigorous salt march began. Gandhi’s Salt March relates to Thoreau's idea in “Civil Disobedience,” because it shows how Gandhi refused to obey the British law and attempted to make his opinion known. Gandhi’s Salt March emphasizes Thoreau’s idea on how important it is for individuals to come together as a society and voice their opinions to the government on what they believe is right. The Salt March was a reaction to the British tax on salt. Mahatma Gandhi, the British, and some protesters were involved. The British had previously colonized India and therefore were trying to regulate their economy. The Salt March took place in India on March 12, 1930, due to the unreasonable tax on salt, which Gandhi didn’t find fair. He then started a...
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...was one of the world’s most influential figures. He led many protests that revolutionized the idea of civil disobedience, or non-violent protest. Gandhi rallied thousands to disobey the oppressive and racist British government as an Indian nationalist movement to free India. Under his leadership, the Indian Congress launched a series of mass movements: the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Non Cooperation Movement in 1920s and 1930s. The former was triggered by the historic Salt March, when Gandhi led a group of followers from his ashram on a 200 mile march to Dandi on the west coast in order to prepare salt in a violation of British law. Gandhi soon earned the title “Mahatma,” or Great Soul. In August 1942, the Quit India movement was launched. The British resorted to brutal repression against non-violent protesters. It was evident that the British could only maintain the empire at enormous cost to themselves. At the end of World War II, the British began to transfer power to the now sovereign State of India. Throughout the major events of his life, the concept of Satyagraha, or non-violent, peaceful resistance remained a foundational basis for all of his major movements. Gandhi’s philosophy of Satyagraha encompassed his most central core value and belief of the truthful pursuit of non-violence. This idea is displayed through the formation of his ideas on civil disobedience, his implementation of the historic Salt March, and his reaction to the Quit India movement. Satyagraha...
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...Fifty-three years ago, the events of what became known as “Bloody Sunday” unfolded. “Bloody Sunday” was one of the hundreds of marches that occurred during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. This movement was also characterized by other acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, such as sit-ins, boycotts, and rallies. The civil rights movement was a human rights movement established in the hopes of ending legalized racial segregation and discrimination laws in the United States. One objective of this movement was to push for legislation to enforce the fifteenth amendment. The fifteenth amendment states that no one could be denied the right to vote because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. However, this amendment was...
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...whether euthanasia is morally or ethical wrong has been argued for decades. In those arguments, philosopher Immanuel Kant’s theories have always been cited. Based on Kant’s Deontology theory, the outcome of an action is not relevant to morality; the only right thing is to do what reason dictates. His categorical imperative states: Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” (McLachlan, 2009, p70.). Thus as a rational being, man cannot to formulate a maxim to give other’s right to take his life because of he is in a terrible condition. This kind of maxim will not form a universal law thus it should be removed and replaced with a more reasonable maxim. If we will such maxim, we will end in hypothetical imperative not categorical. In addition, Kant explained the practical imperative further in his categorical imperative second formulation: “act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only” (McLachlan, 2009, p73.). Thus, if humanity is an end, no man has the right to take his life even in whatever condition he finds himself Overall, Kant’s theory is very influential in the argument of euthanasia ethical issues. Based on his theory, euthanasia is not a moral act. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE Civil disobedience means the refusal to obey certain laws or governmental demands for the purpose of influencing legislation or government policy...
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...When it comes to the pretention of Civil Disobedience and what can be seen as acts of indirect and direct civil disobedience. H.A. Bedau and Henry David Thoreau come to mind because of how they both saw things in different light but at a meaningful level they both thought the same about the government even through they expressed there ideals in completely different ways. Their ideas cross on many different paths as to which even Bedau talks about Thoreau in his essay in regards to being “responsible” for your actions. The main premise of Bedau’s argument in his essay of “civil disobedience and personal responsibility for justice” is to compare the idea of what is civil disobedience and who is responsible for the actions. Bedau spends a great...
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...Lloyd Wyse Melissa Hull EN 209-014 April 18, 2012 Critical Essay: Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is the active refusal to comply with certain laws or demands of a government, such as paying fines or taxes. Although it is not necessarily on-violent, it has classically been attributed to nonviolent resistance. The etymological origin of the term is from Henry David Thoreau’s essay Resistance to Government, written in 1849, which was eventually renamed to Essay on Civil Disobedience. Since its republication in 1866, Thoreau’s essay has inspired many important activists over the course of history. Its messages have resonated within countless people unsatisfied or disgusted with the law of the land; one of the most prominent lessons it teaches is that an unjust government can only be corrected by the defiance of its people. As long as there is an imperfect government, there will be a need for civil disobedience. Citizens of nations from all over the globe still read and learn from Civil Disobedience because even in modern times a perfect government does not exist. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau prompts the reader to take direct action against injustice. He argues that the government is a representative of corruption and injustice that, like a machine, fuels the enabling of its wrongdoings through enforcement of law. He states that an individual’s silent compliance with the law is essentially the same as cooperation with injustices that the lawmaker commits. In particular...
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...better. Breaking the law is justifiable and acceptable when the law violates human rights and conscience. Certainly, rules are established for us to follow. However, we as human beings should be able to differentiate from right and wrong incase laws need to be violated for the right cause. Even with hard consequences, breaking the law can be justified, considering the situations and the purposes. Justification of the of laws depends on the situation, not on the rules and regulations. In certain places of the world there are extraordinary laws that might not be acceptable to all. We cannot ignore the fact that in the civil wars and world wars era the abolitionists were breaking the laws, which surely had a cause but the killing of innocent people and the millions of lives lost do not have an explanation. Such violation in today’s era, cannot be justified (A Theory of justice 1972, 1975). Guido 2 Laws are simply human built, someone somewhere proposed them and implemented those for a reason and sometimes these reasons are completely not justified. Killing is one of the best examples for such unjustified rules where a member of a family is killed by the social groups or any other members, due to the belief that the victim has brought dishonor to the family or society. Obeying blindly and blind faith are the major causes of such disgraceful activities happening in the society. Murders simply are the worst violation of human rights. People surely have the right to choose...
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...We as Americans hold privileges that entitle us to unalienable “God given” rights. We as a nation have grown to create laws to keep order in our “free society”. The question of whether the created laws are just can generate ordeals that lead us to civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is a great part of the American history, giving the American population the extraordinary privilege of being able to speak against any policy or regulation that corrupts our great nation. Peaceful resistance has been practiced in our country since its birth. The fact that Americans are willing to have overlooked the consequences of civil disobedience is quite remarkable, as it instills the ideal that Americans are always striving for a better tomorrow. As a democratic country, protest was our very foundation. How did we get there? Since 1776, every generation has had an “end of the world” dilemma that they choose to resist with and without peaceful protest, including two movements that were very close in time but extremely distinct in outrage, the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War....
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...LAGAZON, ALFONSO MIGUEL L. BS PT 2-2 SIR DESTURA, PHILOSOPHY RETRIEVED FROM: www.mkgandhi-sarvodaya.org/articles/ramanand.htm ARTICLES: ON & BY GANDHI The Gandhian philosophy of satyagraha is a natural outcome of the supreme concept of truth. If truth is the ultimate reality, then it is imperative to safeguard the criteria and foundations of truth. A votary of “God, which is the highest Truth and the highest Reality” must be utterly selfless and gentle. He should have an unconquerable determination to fight for the supremacy of spiritual and moral values. Thus alone can he vindicate his sense of ethical devotion? Satyagraha means the exercise of the purest soul-force against all injustice, oppression and exploitation. Suffering and trust are attributes of soul force. The active nonviolent resistance of the ‘heroic meek’ makes an immediate appeal to the heart. It wants not to endanger the opponent but to overwhelm him by the over flooding power of innocence. Satyagraha or stupendous effort at conversion can be applied against the Government, the social Czars and leaders of ‘orthodoxy’. Satyagraha is an inherent birthright of a person. It is not merely a sacred right but it can also be a sacred duty. If the Government does not represent the will of the people, and if it begins to support dishonesty and terrorism, then it should be disobeyed. But one who wants to vindicate his rights should be prepared to bear all kinds of suffering. Gandhi referred...
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...- 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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...Famous Thinkers Creative ideas are the foundation of the creative process (Goodman & Fritchie, 2011) and famous thinkers have things that help them to achieve greatness during their lives. When they run across a problem that needs to be resolved, is the time they start coming up with their ideas. They may look at the same problem and have different ways to solve them from other people. In this paper Bertrand Russell who was born in 1872 and died in 1970 along with Martin Luther King Jr. who was born in 1929 and died in 1968 will be examined. They used their own creative process to motivate people into seeing different issues their way. Each of these men made contributions during difficult times. In this paper specific problems and ideas that these men sought to solve, and the plans they put into action to resolve these problems. Their ideas and solutions were met with opposition from people who did not like change. Some of their solutions were constantly improved upon. A part of these solutions were logical solutions, which allowed them to be accepted without much resistance. The way these two men thought had a huge impact on the way other people started to think, this helped to make the outcome of personal issues for the better. Russell dealt with analytical philosophy dealing with realism, and King was for fighting against inequality and the injustice of segregation. Being that they were two different men...
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...In Sophocles’ Antigone the protagonist’s actions are justified through the principles of civil disobedience due to the utilization of direct action, the opposition to the government structure, and the willingness to give up natural rights as exhibited in Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Antigone’s actions are mainly plausible through the direct action in which she exploits to bring justice to her deceased brother. After Antigone buries Polynecies the guard describes the direct action as “The corpse- someone hath just given it burial, and gone away,- after sprinkling thirsty dust on the flesh, with such other rites as piety enjoins” (Sophocles 10). Antigone decides to...
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