Anaya Nolan
Laws are made by a Parliament, and this is not a body that’s inspired by God or by any kind of higher wisdom. The people making our laws are fallible, they can make mistakes; often enough they are greedy, perhaps corrupt, they can be bribed and lobbied, or they serve particular interests. It is crucial to question and critically examine laws as they can be influenced by various factors and are not necessarily morally right. Therefore, it can be morally right, and even indicated, to break the law in certain situations. For example, sometimes laws look like they protect the rich and the wealthy at the cost of the poor and disadvantaged. Sometimes laws may feel unjust. So is it true that sometimes a good person might need to break the law in the pursuit of what’s right? A total of fifty-eight percent (58%) view breaking the law as “OK” if the crimes are minor.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Laws are not necessarily morally right | Laws can be influenced by various factors |
| Individuals are called to make their own moral decisions | Laws can be unjust |
| Laws are made by a Parliament | Laws are not inspired by God or higher wisdom |
| Laws are made by fallible people | Laws can be influenced by greed and corruption |
| Ethics gives us rules that we are supposed to follow unconditionally | You should not steal, you should be honest, you should be loyal |
| 20% of people surveyed don't believe what they do is illegal | 58% view breaking the law as "OK" if the crimes are minor |
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What You'll Learn
When laws are influenced by factors that are not morally right
Laws are made by a Parliament, and this is not a body that’s inspired by God or by any kind of higher wisdom. The people making our laws are fallible, they can make mistakes; often enough they are greedy, perhaps corrupt, they can be bribed and lobbied, or they serve partisan interests. Laws can be influenced by various factors and are not necessarily morally right.
It is crucial to question and critically examine laws. Individuals are called to make their own moral decisions, which is a fundamental part of being human. Therefore, it can be morally right, and even indicated, to break the law in certain situations. Sometimes laws look like they protect the rich and the wealthy at the cost of the poor and disadvantaged. Sometimes laws may feel unjust.
However, the view that morality is an absolute claim to direct one’s actions is a dangerous one. Ethics gives us rules that we are supposed to follow unconditionally, without ever questioning them: you should not steal, you should be honest, you should be loyal, and so on.
A survey found that 58% of people view breaking the law as “OK” if the crimes are minor. Interestingly, more than one third of people are not bothered at all that they break the law.
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When laws protect the rich and wealthy at the cost of the poor and disadvantaged
It is crucial to question and critically examine laws as they can be influenced by various factors and are not necessarily morally right. Laws are made by a Parliament, a body that is not inspired by God or any kind of higher wisdom. The people making our laws are fallible and can make mistakes; they can be greedy, corrupt, bribed and lobbied.
Therefore, it can be morally right, and even indicated, to break the law in certain situations. For example, when laws protect the rich and the wealthy at the cost of the poor and disadvantaged. In such cases, laws may feel unjust, and it may be true that a good person might need to break the law in the pursuit of what’s right.
However, this is a dangerous view. Morality has an absolute claim to direct one's actions. Ethics gives us rules that we are supposed to follow unconditionally, without ever questioning them: you should not steal, you should be honest, you should be loyal, and so on.
Interestingly, more than one third of people are not bothered at all that they break the law. A total of fifty-eight percent (58%) view breaking the law as “OK” if the crimes are minor.
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When laws are unjust
Laws are made by a Parliament, and this is not a body that’s inspired by God or by any kind of higher wisdom. The people making our laws are fallible, they can make mistakes; often enough they are greedy, perhaps corrupt, they can be bribed and lobbied, or they serve partisan interests. It is crucial to question and critically examine laws as they can be influenced by various factors and are not necessarily morally right.
Individuals are called to make their own moral decisions, which is a fundamental part of being human. Therefore, it can be morally right, and even indicated, to break the law in certain situations. Sometimes laws look like they protect the rich and the wealthy at the cost of the poor and disadvantaged. Sometimes laws may feel unjust. So is it true that sometimes a good person might need to break the law in the pursuit of what’s right?
Morality has an absolute claim to direct one’s actions. Ethics gives us rules that we are supposed to follow unconditionally, without ever questioning them: you should not steal, you should be honest, you should be loyal, and so on. However, this view is dangerous because it assumes that the laws of the state are a subset of morality. In reality, the laws of the state are influenced by various factors and are not always morally right.
For example, a survey found that fifty-eight percent (58%) of people view breaking the law as “OK” if the crimes are minor. Interestingly, more than one-third of people are not bothered at all that they break the law. This suggests that people recognize that there are times when breaking the law is justifiable, whether it is because the law is unjust or because the crime is minor.
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When laws are considered minor
Laws are not always the same as ethics, and it can be morally right to break the law in certain situations. For example, laws can be influenced by factors that protect the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and disadvantaged. Laws are made by fallible people and can be unjust, so it is important to question and critically examine them.
While ethics gives us rules that we are supposed to follow unconditionally, such as not stealing, being honest, and being loyal, laws are more specific and cover only a subset of what morality covers. This means that there may be times when breaking the law is considered minor. For instance, a survey found that 58% of people view breaking the law as "OK" if the crimes are minor. More than one-third of people are not bothered at all that they break the law.
It is important to note that this view can be dangerous, as morality has an absolute claim to direct one's actions. However, it is also crucial to recognise that laws are not always perfect and that individuals must make their own moral decisions. As such, there may be situations where breaking a minor law is justified, such as when it is done to pursue a greater good or to correct an injustice.
Ultimately, the decision to break the law, even for minor infractions, is a complex and personal one that requires careful consideration of the specific circumstances and potential consequences.
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When laws are not inspired by a higher power
Laws are made by a Parliament, and this is not a body that’s inspired by God or by any kind of higher wisdom. The people making our laws are fallible, they can make mistakes; often enough they are greedy, perhaps corrupt, they can be bribed and lobbied, or they serve partisan interests. Therefore, it can be morally right, and even indicated, to break the law in certain situations.
The laws of the state are a subset of what morality covers. Morality has an absolute claim to direct one’s actions. Ethics gives us rules that we are supposed to follow unconditionally, without ever questioning them: you should not steal, you should be honest, you should be loyal, and so on. However, this is a dangerous view. It is dangerous because morality has this absolute claim to direct one’s actions.
Sometimes laws look like they protect the rich and the wealthy at the cost of the poor and disadvantaged. Sometimes laws may feel unjust. So is it true that sometimes a good person might need to break the law in the pursuit of what’s right? It is crucial to question and critically examine laws as they can be influenced by various factors and are not necessarily morally right. Individuals are called to make their own moral decisions, which is a fundamental part of being human.
Remarkably, twenty percent of people surveyed don’t believe what they do is illegal because “everyone else does it.” A total of fifty-eight percent view breaking the law as “OK” if the crimes are minor. Interestingly, more than one third of people are not bothered at all that they break the law.
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Frequently asked questions
It can be morally right to break the law in certain situations. Laws are made by fallible people and can be influenced by various factors, so it's important to question and critically examine them.
Sometimes laws can feel like they protect the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and disadvantaged. In these situations, it could be argued that breaking the law is justified if it is done in pursuit of what is morally right.
A survey found that 58% of people view breaking the law as "OK" if the crimes are minor. However, this view is worrying to some as it suggests many people are breaking the law without considering the ethical implications.
Some argue that there are moral rules which exist separately from the laws of the state and should be followed unconditionally. These include rules such as "do not steal" and "be honest".
