Abstract
This essay discusses how it is sometimes imperative to disobey the law. There are indeed many circumstances one can think of in which disobeying the law might be the ethically right thing to do. A general right of civil disobedience is defensible.

Tags:civil, disobedience, defensible

Abstract
This paper examines how occasionally disobedience may be necessary to preserve one's moral integrity. For instance, if one is directed by law to kill a human being, or to commit some other sort of heinous crime it is up to the individual to decide whether obedience poses enough of a threat to his or her moral integrity that he or she cannot continue following the law or rule. It evaluates how in most cases, however, it is in the best interests of the individual to obey and to instead amend the system where necessary. It provides examples throughout history where disobeying laws had positive results such as leaders of nonviolent protest movement (e.g., Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.) who broke laws in the strict sense. It also analyzes laws such as conscription laws which can cause a travesty of moral obligations.

From the Paper
"Therefore, strictly speaking, it is extremely difficult to act against a law without violating some facet of the body of law in some way. Much of our conception of changing things by "working within the system"is based on Western governmental notions of democratic government. In many other political contexts, there may be no system to work with. For instance, in a totalitarian dictatorship, such as exists in North Korea, for instance, what room is there to change the system? The very act of attempting to change any element of the system might very well be regarded as illegal. It is arguable that this can be found in United States history as well, as with the Sedition Act mentioned above."

Tags:morality, integrity, democracy, conscription, murder

Abstract
This paper explores the idea that Adam and Eve are actual children and God is an actual father to them. It attempts to understand why they disobeyed God's command in the Garden of Eden by considering their behavior to that of children who disobey their parents. It examines how all children disobey their parents at one time or another and how there are several causes, the main one being that children understandably lack the knowledge to know right from wrong. In Adam and Eve's case, they couldn't know right because they couldn't know wrong. It also uses the analogy of Adam and Eve to discuss the theories behind preventative measures against disobedience such as warnings and punishment.

From the Paper
"In the beginning, Adam and Eve were content in their Paradise. They would never question God's word. Eve though they did not know the difference, they were happy. Early in life, for example, as babies we are unaware of much around us, but we know when we are happy. Unfortunately, as children begin to get older, they begin to wonder about absolutely everything. It's natural for children to be curious about things. It is especially natural for children to ask "why this" and "why that" when something is forbidden to them. If Adam and Eve are considered children, rather than adults, then maybe we can begin to understand why they disobeyed God's command."

Tags:disobedience, punishment, behavior, garden, eden

Abstract
This paper examines the conflicts between the dialogues of "Allegory of the Cave" and "Divided Line" from Socrates' works "Apology" and "Crito". It looks at how in "Apology", Socrates stipulates that if the court would discharge him on the condition that he no longer practice philosophy, he would not obey the law and how in the "Crito" he argues that the laws must be obeyed, firstly because if they are not then a city cannot function and secondly because escaping would constitute and unjust act. It analyzes whether it is possible for Socrates to disobey the court's ruling in the "Apology" and argue that one must never disobey a law in the "Crito" .

From the Paper
"Socrates also likens the relationship between citizen and state to that of child and parent (Crito, 50d). To avoid punishment would be akin to that of not abiding by the decision one's parents made, effectively claiming that the state had no right to judge one in the first place. Socrates points out that if one thought this then one is free to leave the state, but by remaining there they effectively sign a contract to abide by the state's rulings (Crito, 52e). Socrates points out that he is not an equal to the state's laws, but an inferior and must abide by their decisions."

Tags:citizen, state, justice, city

Abstract
This paper explains that, although civil disobedience is ancient, as old as the Hebrew midwives' defiance of Pharaoh, most of its moral and legal theory and form were shaped by Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.. The author points out that some historians are skeptical about civil disobedience and doubt its effectiveness or reasonableness, but others see it as a highly effective strategy in educating individuals and in bringing about a particular and desired change. The paper concludes that, while Thoreau and others argue that individuals are morally justified in disobeying certain laws, the observation is that few people will actually disobey; these leaders view this docility in the majority as the greater threat to democracy than anarchy.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Examples of Civil Disobedience
An Analysis of Civil Disobedience
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Taking after the original example of Henry David Thoreau in secluding himself from the cloak of the law and into the woods in Walden Pond, protesters expressed the same outcry all over the world and in different times. Civil disobedience was used widely in India's nonviolent resistance movements against British colonialism, in South Africa in its fight against apartheid, in civil rights movements in the USA and in Europe and in the resistance movement in Scandinavia against the Nazi occupation. It was also a major strategy adopted by national movements in the former colonies in Africa and Asia before they obtained independence."

Tags:thoreau, gandhi king occupation docility

Abstract
This paper discusses the philosophical argument that, citizens ought to be free to ignore society's laws whenever their conscience dictates, has always appealed to non-conformists, but if such conduct became widely accepted, society would degenerate into anarchy. This contentious issue has been debated by philosophers and political theorists for more than two-thousand years, and a general consensus has emerged that this argument is only valid in terms of civil disobedience, where those who ignore or disobey certain laws are willing to submit themselves to arrest and punishment in order to emphasize the injustice of those laws. The paper then discusses how in ancient Greece, Plato and Sophocles addressed this issue in works such as Crito and Antigone.

Tags:plato, and, sophocles

Abstract
This paper explains why it is essential that members of the armed forces obey the orders of superior officers. It addresses the hierarchical nature of the military. The writer discusses the national command authority and looks at the chain of command. The writer examines the need for good order within the military. This article also discusses the duty to disobey unlawful orders and the concept of war crimes.

From the Paper
"The U.S. military is a hierarchy. Constitutionally, the ultimate authority and responsibility for the national defense rests with the President of the United States and the Commander in Chief of the nation's armed forces. The President uses the Secretary of Defense as his principal assistant in all matters relating to the military and national defense. The Secretary of Defense has statutory authority and control over all branches of America's armed services. The Secretary is responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the U.S. military. "

Tags:U.s. Military, hierarchy, chain of command, commander in chief, secretary of defense, superior officer, lawful command, UCMJ, court martial, war crime

Abstract
The paper argues that, while the individual must respect the laws of the state in which he lives and must obey them, he is obliged to differentiate between just laws and unjust laws and disobey the unjust and immoral ones that, if obeyed, harm a society or members of it.

From the Paper
"The heroes of the twentieth century, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, agreed with Thoreau, and the fact that they changed the world for the better supports the argument that Thoreau's insistence that the individual has a duty to oppose unjust laws, just as he has a duty to obey just laws, is correct. Gandhi, who lived during the British occupation of India, fought through the peaceful method of civil disobedience, both the unjust laws that the British passed over Indians and the British occupation of his country. Among those laws were ones that prevented Indians from making their own salt or clothes. The purpose of these laws was to benefit the English economy by forcing Indians, by law, to buy British textiles and salt ("Gandhi's Protests and Causes")."

Tags:purposes, protect, injustice, society, fair, treatment, ethical, moral, freedom, oppress, deny

Abstract
Plato's "Crito" is a dialogue between Socrates and his friend Crito occurring the day before Socrates is to be executed. In this dialogue, Crito approaches Socrates with an offer of a possible escape, but it is not immediately accepted. Socrates questions whether the motive behind or reasons for the escape are good, and this leads to a major concept surrounding the whole dialogue--the concept of the definition of 'good'. The paper shows that Socrates makes it clear that to be good is to be virtuous, honorable, fair, and just, while everything else is secondary. While keeping with his definition of good, Socrates also believes that the law of the state is good, as he himself states that he would not have resided in the city were it not so. This premise is the key to Socrates' argument that because the law is good, to break or disobey the law is bad or evil, and thus every citizen who chooses to live under the law should strive to be good thus leading a good life. It is this that obliges Socrates to stay in jail and suffer his punishment, as it is people who have wronged him and not the law. Thus, in his afterlife, this will be well looked-upon. This essay disagrees with some parts of this argument and sets out to show that Socrates is not completely correct in his opinions.

From the Paper
"In a sense the contract that Socrates describes does exist, and citizens of a country or state are obliged to follow and respect the laws for that state. But if the laws are unfair or unjust, every citizen should have a right to act on that, in the form of appeals to politicians, or at an extreme, rebellion or revolts against the state. It should not be wrong to stand up against a state that is treating people unfairly or unjustly. With respect to Socrates specifically, he has been wronged by the justice system, and when he asks Crito "ought a man to do what he admits to be right, or ought he betray the right?" that man should do definitely do what he thinks is right."

Tags:death, sentence, corruptor

Abstract
This paper explains that the apparent inconsistencies in the willingness of Socrates to disobey the government of Athens and its laws are merely the result of his love for Athens and distrust of the common people (hoi polloi) as rulers of the city. It shows that, to Socrates, the people of Athens collectively formed a force destructive to the ethical and philosophical ideals to which he adhered. These adherents to the tradition of concessive belief, according to Socrates, were of no use to themselves or to the city because they failed to make any significant contributions and merely provided one additional voice in the chorus that was Athenian democracy.

From the Paper
"Socrates maintains a consistent loyalty to Athens and its laws throughout his trial in the Apology and his discussion with a student in Crito. Both works portray Socrates as a patriotic individual who regarded his city and its population as separate entities and who intended wholeheartedly to improve the former while preventing ruin at the hands of the latter."

Tags:athens, civil, classics, court, death, democracy, disobedience, grecian, greek, hemlock, hoi, injustice, jury, justice, law, obedience, patriotism, penalty, persuasion, plato, polloi, sentence, socratic, unjust