Civil Disobedience

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the duty to obey the law has been so firmly ingrained in the societal conscious that anything against this automatically elicits a negative response; however, it is quite clear that duty to obey the law might not always be connected with one's moral duties in all areas. The author points out that philosopher W.D. Ross feels that the duty to obey the law is grounded in the concept of exchange of goods: If a citizen receives certain benefits, he or she should obey the law as a sign of gratitude. The paper concludes that disobedience of law is never desirable but there are times when this is the morally correct action since the claim that the law represents "the moral judgment of the majority and its sense of justice" is not always right. The paper includes some long quotations.

From the Paper:

"The concept of fair play is undoubtedly interesting but lacks power to influence or convince us of its validity. If the only reason I should follow the law is so others can benefit, can we also argue that I am allowed to disobey the law if I know others would benefit. The exchange of benefits is the key in this argument. So if the means to achieve this end turns out to be different, do they have a solid argument against my actions? As mentioned in the case of signal violation- if I decided not to break the signal even if it results in the death of the sick woman, how is that benefiting the woman?"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Rawls, J., 'Legal obligations and the duty of fair play,' S. Hook ed., Law and Philosophy (New York: N.Y.U. Pr., 1963)
• Hart, H. 'Are there any natural rights,' Philosophical Review 64 (1955)
• Ross, W. The Right and the Good (Ox! ford: Oxford U. Pr. 1930).

More papers on Civil Disobedience:

• Analytical Essay # 130688 : "The Role of Civil Disobedience after World War II"
• Argumentative Essay # 72604 : "Civil Disobedience"
• Essay # 70149 : "Socrates and Civil Disobedience"
• Analytical Essay # 141337 : "Critique Of Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience"

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