Keith Mack
Thoreau is emblematic of when and how to fight immoral laws. He argues that people should never participate in evil, even if it is the law. Thoreau says that if the government requires one to be an agent of injustice toward another, then one must break the law. He urges the reader to be a \counter-friction\ to the machine and not to participate in the wrong. Thoreau, with his fervent abolitionist and anti-war beliefs, was one of the first examples of nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws and the selective enforcement of questionable laws.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| When to break the law | When the law is unjust |
| When the government requires one to be an agent of injustice toward another | |
| When the government asks one to do something wrong | |
| How to break the law | Nonviolently |
| Without evading arrest | |
| Without going into hiding or exile |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- Thoreau argues that people should break the law when the government requires them to be an agent of injustice towards another
- Thoreau says that people should not participate in evil, even if it is the law
- Thoreau believes that people should accept the punishment for breaking the law, rather than trying to evade it
- Thoreau advocates for civil disobedience and nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws
- Thoreau argues that working for change through the government takes too much time and wastes a person's life
Thoreau argues that people should break the law when the government requires them to be an agent of injustice towards another
Thoreau's views on civil disobedience are based on his fervent abolitionist and anti-war beliefs. He was one of the first examples of nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws and the selective enforcement of questionable laws. Thoreau believed that violence is usually unjustifiable, and he did not advocate for it in his struggles with the law. Instead, he advocated for people to be a "counter-friction" to the machine of government and not to participate in wrongdoing.
Understanding North Carolina Work Break Laws and Your Rights
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Thoreau says that people should not participate in evil, even if it is the law
Thoreau, with his fervent abolitionist and anti-war beliefs, was one of the first examples of nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws and the selective enforcement of questionable laws. He is emblematic of when and how to fight immoral laws, and his example has influenced many people, such as Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Indian anti-imperialist Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Americans Break Federal Laws: How Often Does It Happen?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Thoreau believes that people should accept the punishment for breaking the law, rather than trying to evade it
Thoreau, with his fervent abolitionist and anti-war beliefs, was one of the first examples of nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws and the selective enforcement of questionable laws. Thoreau argues that any such compromise on ethical issues is a moral sell-out. A person should never participate in evil, not even if it is the law. Therefore, Thoreau does not play by democracy's "rules of the game". Rather, he calls for people to remove themselves from the government when they believe that they are being asked to do something wrong.
Thoreau does not fully disobey democracy's rules either: he accepts that by breaking one law (e.g., the law to pay taxes) he will be punished under another (criminal) law, and he does not say that people should try to avoid the consequences of their disobedience—they should not go into hiding or exile; they should not resist arrest. Thoreau urges the reader to be a counter-friction to the machine and not to participate in the wrong.
Thoreau then argues that working for change through government takes too much time and requires a person to waste his life. Thoreau (and many whom he influenced, such as Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. or Indian anti-imperialist Mohandas K. Gandhi) is emblematic of when and how to fight immoral laws. We can learn something from their example (and the many thousands of fellow dissidents and strugglers against institutionalized racism and oppression).
In summary, Thoreau believes that people should accept the punishment for breaking the law, rather than trying to evade it.
Sanctuary Cities: Legal or Lawless?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Thoreau advocates for civil disobedience and nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws
Thoreau does not fully disobey democracy's rules either. He accepts that by breaking one law, he will be punished under another law, and he does not say that people should try to avoid the consequences of their disobedience. They should not go into hiding or exile, and they should not resist arrest. Thoreau, with his fervent abolitionist and anti-war beliefs, was one of the first examples of nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws and the selective enforcement of questionable laws. He is emblematic of when and how to fight immoral laws, and his example has influenced many, such as Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Indian anti-imperialist Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Avoiding Legal Trouble Abroad: Rights and Responsibilities
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Thoreau argues that working for change through the government takes too much time and wastes a person's life
Thoreau, with his fervent abolitionist and anti-war beliefs, was one of the first examples of nonviolent passive resistance to unjust laws and the selective enforcement of questionable laws. He argues that any such compromise on ethical issues is a moral sell-out. A person should never participate in evil, not even if it is the law. Thoreau does not play by democracy's "rules of the game". He calls for people to remove themselves from the government when they believe that they are being asked to do something wrong.
Thoreau does not fully disobey democracy's rules either: he accepts that by breaking one law (e.g., the law to pay taxes) he will be punished under another (criminal) law, and he does not say that people should try to avoid the consequences of their disobedience—they should not go into hiding or exile; they should not resist arrest. Libertarians, in the spirit of Thoreau, are willing to fight an ongoing struggle against power and find moral justification in civil disobedience.
The Law, Eric Garner, and the Truth
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Thoreau advocates breaking the law when the government requires one to be an agent of injustice toward another.
Thoreau argues that working for change through government takes too much time and requires a person to waste their life.
Thoreau argues that any compromise on ethical issues is a moral sell-out. He says that people should remove themselves from the government when they believe that they are being asked to do something wrong.
Thoreau accepts that by breaking one law, he will be punished under another law. He does not say that people should try to avoid the consequences of their disobedience.
