Plato, Thoreau and King

Paper Summary:

This paper claims that Plato, Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau each had widely differing ideals relating to the government, its necessity and the responsibility of citizens towards this government. The paper explains that these views were all closely related to each philosopher's personal ideals regarding how best to live their lives with the greatest of integrity. Each philosophy is examined for its applicability to the issue of the war in Iraq and the responsibility of citizens to take action.

From the Paper:

"Plato's work focuses on the philosopher Socrates, who has been condemned to death for "corrupting the youth" of Athens. Crito attempts to encourage his escape, but Aristotle refuses, on the grounds of his own personal set of ethics. For Socrates, ethics and values are closely related to one's reverence for the government. This stems from a specific paradigm of the time, that citizens are not on equal terms with the government. The government knows best and should not be questioned. Socrates uses the parent-child analogy to explain this view. The government is a parent body to the citizens of Athens. The only protest that can acceptably be made is leaving Athens."

More papers on Plato, Thoreau and King:

• Essay # 53790 : "Free Will, Morality, and Human Law"
• Comparison Essay # 50608 : "Civil Obedience and Moral Freedom in Political Thinking"
• Essay # 26725 : "Unjust Laws"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: