What does Thoreau suggest is worse than disobeying an unjust law?

He disagreed with other American people who believed the majority should change the law first because it is a worse thing to disobey the law than to do what an unjust law says to do. Thoreau wrote that breaking the unjust laws is better: “Break the law. However, Thoreau did not think people should be criminals.

What are some laws today that are unjust?

Money Bail.

Does Thoreau believe it’s duty to fight against wrongs?

Thoreau writes that a person does not have a duty actually to eliminate wrongs– even the most serious wrongs. However, at the very least, a person must “wash his hands” of injustice and not be associated with something that is wrong.

Which philosopher said no law can be unjust?

Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.”

Is it OK to disobey unjust laws?

In short, if anybody ever has a right to break the law, this cannot be a legal right under the law. It has to be a moral right against the law. And this moral right is not an unlimited right to disobey any law which one regards as unjust.

What did Martin Luther King Jr mean by just and unjust laws?

the law of God
“A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law,” King responded. “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws.

What is an example of a law that is unjust?

An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Examples include laws denying equal treatment to homosexuals.

What is an example of unjust?

The definition of unjust is something unfair or not morally right. If an innocent man is found guilty because the police lied, this is an example of an unjust verdict. Not fair, just or right. The solution was very unjust.

What does Thoreau consider the most effective ways of expressing his displeasure with the government?

Thoreau considers civil disobedience one of the most effective ways of expressing his displeasure with the government. Civil disobedience, as the name suggests, is the active disregard and breaking of a government rule when a private citizen believes it is unnecessary or even against society’s best interests.

What were his feelings about the government while he was in jail?

How did his imprisonment affect his feelings about the government? He refused to pay his poll tax. In jail he lost respect for the state. You just studied 8 terms!

What does an unjust law is no law at all?

An unjust law is no law at all, in Latin Lex iniusta non est lex, is an expression of natural law, acknowledging that authority is not legitimate unless it is good and right. It has become a standard legal maxim around the world.

What is an unjust law example?

There are many unjust laws around the world, the most obvious being those that discriminate between the rights given to different groups. In the United States, the most egregious examples tend to be on a state rather than on a federal level. Examples include laws denying equal treatment to homosexuals.

What did Henry David Thoreau say about unjust laws?

Quote by Henry David Thoreau: “Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey …” “Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?

Are there any unjust laws in the world?

“Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men generally, under such a government as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them.

What did David Thoreau do for civil disobedience?

Unlike some later advocates of civil disobedience like Martin Luther King, Thoreau did not rule out using violence against an unjust government. In 1859, Thoreau defended John Brown’s bloody attack on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, during his failed attempt to spark a slave revolt.

Why did Henry Thoreau argue for the right to refuse to pay taxes?

Thoreau argued that the government must end its unjust actions to earn the right to collect taxes from its citizens. As long as the government commits unjust actions, he continued, conscientious individuals must choose whether to pay their taxes or to refuse to pay them and defy the government.