Summary Of Carl Cohen's Seven Arguments Against Civil Disobedience

When your human rights are being stripped, it is a great way to change society, as we see in Gandhi’s peaceful revolt. However, in many cases it is not necessary. It would do even more damage, especially if there are other, safer and more human ways for addressing concerns. Laws would be threatened as well as American infrastructure and economy. Through this, civil disobedience requires us to examine the situation. It requires intelligent people to sacrifice something for the greater good, and when it is necessary. The people thinking about disobeying must ask the question “is the law I am being pushed under unjust?” before performing the act. As Gandhi once said “An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and

Peaceful resistance to laws is one of the strongest and most important foundations of a free society. Countless peaceful demonstrations have been led in the history of the United States, with positive outcomes that have helped shape the country.

Brilliantly put by what many deem to be America’s greatest president of all time, Abraham Lincoln, “Let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children’s liberty.” Civil disobedience is defined as the refusal to comply with certain laws as a form of political protest. Although many may argue that this is the sole way to keep the government in check and to make minorities heard, rational people will realize that it is not this disrespect of the law that proves the democracy of our nation.

If we take a closer look at civil disobedience, we can better understand what it means, its goals, and its outcomes. Civil disobedience predominantly exists as direct and non-violent government defiance. Instead of voicing an opinion with a vote or a simple conversation, civil disobedience stands up for what is right using an individual’s whole influence. Therefore, some sacrifices regarding the legality of actions are made in order to preserve the integrity of the mission. In other words, why should a protester follow the law that they are trying to alter? That doesn’t make much sense, therefore civil disobedience allows unjust laws to be broken for the greater good. This method is very effective if, for example, a minority is attempting to

Thomas Jefferson once said, “If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” Citizens of any government are often subject to unjust, unreasonable legislation that they are required to follow - but are they? In fact, in order to uphold a government that reflects the will of the people, citizens must protest unfair laws by deliberately disobeying them. This method often results in immediate change, would help to ban immoral laws that can be dangerous to some groups of people, and upholds the entire idea of a fair government: to let the people rule.

Our right to free speech and to peaceably assemble is protected in the First Amendment, and is something we should take seriously. "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances" (Amendment I). One area of "peaceful resistance" is petitioning to government leaders and taking a stand on what is true and godly. When this is done, people have the opportunity to give government officials a point of view that perhaps they would have never considered

Thomas Jefferson clearly stated in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Exactly what Jefferson meant by Liberty in this statement was unclear and has been subject of great debate over the years. There is further examination of the use of the word Liberty in the U.S. Constitution. It was stated in Amendment I, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Therefore, by Constitutional law, it is legal to exercise ones right of peaceful civil disobedience. I believe peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. This is due to the fact that it exercises the rights we are given in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Two documents that run, support, and are the foundation or our nation.

According to Martin Luther King Jr., it is a person’s moral obligation to protest a law that is unjust. We not only have the right to peaceful resistance, we have a responsibility to fight back against what is wrong. One should never have to sit by while injustice occurs or be forced to comply with a law they think is unfair or inequitable. Looking back in history books, we can see many examples of civil disobedience throughout the years that have resulted in more rights and privileges being granted to certain groups with the sole purpose of moving towards equality. For

Peaceful resistance positively impacts a free society, particularly in a Democracy such as the United States. Abraham Lincoln famously described our national foundation as a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”, and for such a statement to be true, it is necessary that voices of US citizens be heard.

Back in 1791, after years of controversy between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, the Framers added the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. Included in this addition was the First Amendment. More specifically, the right to protest. America is known as “the land of the free,” a democracy that is ever changing to suit its progressive societal needs. Americans have the right to inflict change and address their concerns by resisting. Resistance is defined as “the refusal to accept or comply with something” (Dictionary.com). Americans have the right to confront issues. This “refusal to accept” an issue is an immeasurable energy and freedom that is unique to the American people. Due to the themes of democracy, freedom, and constitutional intentions, peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society.

The concept of dissent is one that America was built on. Beginning with the American Revolution and continuing steadily throughout history up to the LGBTQIA+ rights movement of this century, dissent, both peaceful and violent, has been crucial to the development of this free society. Some condemn civil disobedience as a divisive and anarchical act. Carl Cohen, in his essay Arguments Against Civil Disobedience, paints civil disobedience as an act that unravels society and flouts laws that keep a society peaceable.

When done correctly, civil disobedience can have positive effects on society, and in a time where people’s basic human rights are being put up for debate by the government, more people should practice civil disobedience. The main argument against civil disobedience is that it is inefficient, but by looking at history, it is apparent that it has marked significant social change on society. For instance, when Rosa Parks took a front bus seat during the Civil Right’s movement, she prompted African Americans to boycott the bus system. Her act of civil disobedience led to increased non-violent participation in the Civil Right’s movement. It is true that some acts of civil disobedience would be harmful to society.

Peaceful resistance is a major part of American history, from the American Revolution to the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement to the Travel Ban protests of today. These instances of peaceful resistance shape American society for the better, as the voices of minorities are heard and unjust laws are ended. Peaceful resistance does positively impact a free society, as supported by Henry Thoreau, demonstrated by the 1960 Civil Rights Movement, and anticipated by protests of today.

All over the news these days, we see examples of what people call civil disobedience. However, we must first understand what civil disobedience truly is and when one can classify his behavior as an act of civil disobedience. Unjust laws are the motivating factor behind civil disobedience, because, “Everyone agrees that unjust laws exist. The question is whether we should be content to obey them, whether we should try to change them but obey until they are changed, or whether we should disobey them at once” (Thoreau pars 3). Civil disobedience is the act of defying a specific law or set of laws that one finds to be unreasonable according to God and one’s moral code.

The topic of this report focuses on natural law philosophy and acts of civil disobedience. Natural law assumes that humans are naturally good and that they strive to be good. Natural law imposes moral responsibility to do what is right. If something is part of the law but is not morally right, it is the duty of an individual to act upon it. When people act on something that they believe is morally right but is against the law, they are committing acts of civil disobedience, a basic principal of natural law. Positive law on the other hand supports laws of man rather than laws of nature. Supported of positive law believe that the purpose of law is to do the greatest good for the maximum amount of people. In other words, laws are enforced to ensure that individuals do what is best for society rather than themselves. One example of civil disobedience is the act of refusing government interference in homeschooling practices, as done by the Berindrakes. In order for homeschooling to be legal, the government must be involved and be able to ensure standards are being followed. However, these people insists that they are doing God’s duty by homeschooling their children and refusing standardized testing. Another example of civil disobedience is the case of false advertising with CareNet. CareNet advertises falsely and distributes misleading medical information to manipulate society into believing what they consider is morally right. However, false advertisements are illegal. Obedience