Final Paper- PHIL

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Philosophy

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Oct 30, 2023

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Fernando Palacios Final Paper PHIL 106 Justice There has always been discussions and debates about the law and when is it ok to break them. Some people believe that it is never ok to break the law while others believe that there are certain laws that can be broken. Socrates and Martin Luther King Jr. both had arguments on this topic, but they were different views from each other. Socrates argued that it is never ok to break the law under any circumstance and MLK argued that it was right to break laws that brought upon injustices to people. In “Crito” by Plato, Plato recalls the conversation Crito and Socrates had while Socrates was in prison. Socrates was found guilty of trying to corrupt the youth and promote atheism. He defended himself and although it seemed like his arguments were convincing enough to find him innocent, the jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death (Apology). While Socrates was in prison waiting for his sentenced to be carried out, Crito got in and told Socrates he was there to help him escape prison. Socrates refused and said to Crito that he would rather stay in jail and take responsibility for his crime, even if he believes that he is innocent. When asked why, Socrates responded by saying that it is never ok to break the law. Socrates’ main reasoning behind his choice is because he is a citizen of Athens. Socrates goes on to explain that while every Athenian has the right to be raised and taught in Athena, they also have right to leave the city whenever they desire if they wish to not stay anymore without hassle. Those who do

decide to stay have entered what Socrates calls an “implied contract” (Socrates- “Crito”). This contract means that every Athenian must do as they are told when commanded. Those who do not follow and are found guilty after having the chance to convince the people they are in the right, are punished like Socrates was. Socrates explains that although he did not break the law to deserve his punishment, escaping prison would then be breaking the law and then he would be in the wrong. He believes in the just laws and would rather accept his punishment then actually break the law. (“Crito”) Martin Luther King Jr. had a different opinion on breaking laws. MLK believed that there were two different types of laws, just and unjust laws. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” MLK describes just laws as laws that have morals and he referred to them as “the law of God” and we are responsible to follow those laws. He described unjust laws as not being laws at all but just created to degrade people and break peace. MLK fought very hard during the civil rights movement where there were many unjust laws. These laws included segregation which brought upon inequality to minorities and chaos between people in the United States. MLK did not argue to break laws just to break them, he argued that there was meaning in breaking unjust laws. MLK believed that by breaking unjust laws, it would bring a message to the people about the injustices these types of laws bring. He makes it very clear in his letter that he is not advocating for nonsense violence and that those who do decide to break unjust laws to help the cause, must be ready to face any consequences that may follow as he says that by doing this is actually showing the most respect for the law. MLK did believe in breaking

laws but he advocated to break unjust laws that would help destroy injustices among people in the country. My position on this topic would side more with Martin Luther King Jr. because I do believe that in some circumstances, it is ok to break the law. While it can be subjective on which laws would be ok to break, I believe it is important to remember what MLK said about which laws it was ok to break. MLK believed that it was right to break unjust laws because they brought injustices among people and chaos instead of peace. An example of this in history is during World War II with the German and Jews. In Nazi Germany, the Germans were committing genocide against Jewish people and it was against the law to give any aid to them. People saw this law as an unjust law and decided to break the law by helping Jewish people and hiding them from the Germans. Another current example is with people crossing the border. In some situations, people come to the United States illegally because they home country is in chaos and they fear for their lives, so they come over to be in a safer environment. While this law is not necessarily unjust because calling it so can make it exploitative, I believe that if people are at risk of dying or in a similar situation in their home country, then taking the risk to go to another country even illegally might be worth it especially in family situations. I see the idea behind these two examples as ideas would concur with the ideas that MLK had. I do not really agree with Socrates because he states that in no situation is it ever ok to break the law. Any law no mater just or unjust would fall into that category and I do not see it as a good idea to stand by while injustice is happening. Instead, I agree with MLK that it is right to fight against injustices and sometimes that means to break the law to send that message, but it is important to remember that consequences will still follow,

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and we should not break laws and mask them behind the idea that one is fighting for justice. (“Letter to Birmingham Jail”) While there are always good reasons for both sides on a debate for a topic, I believe that the debate that it is sometime ok to break the law is stronger here. Socrates believed in never breaking the law, while MLK believed that breaking the law meant fighting for a good cause, and in his case, it was against injustices amongst minorities. I also believe that breaking the law is sometimes a good idea, if it truly is for a good cause and not the sole benefit of someone’s selfishness. Works Cited Plato. “The Internet Classics Archive: Apology by Plato.” The Internet Classics Archive | Apology by Plato , classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html. Plato. “The Internet Classics Archive: Crito by Plato.” The Internet Classics Archive | Crito by Plato , classics.mit.edu/Plato/crito.html. King, Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Letter from Birmingham Jail, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , 16 Apr. 1963, letterfromjail.com/.