What moral obligation do I have to obey the law? Aside from wanting to avoid punishment for breaking the law, is there a reason why I should follow laws that are put in place? Agreement, gratitude, and fair play are the three main arguments that can be used for obeying the laws of one 's own country. Though it’s more difficult to apply these certain arguments in relation to a foreigner just visiting a new country, they’re still relevant. Just because they are applicable, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t also arguments that can make them invalid.
The understanding that a citizen owes a debt to the government for providing them with benefits is the main argument of gratitude. Gratitude is easier to argue when it comes to your own country because of the idea that as a citizen you feel obligated to the government for providing you with opportunities to have a good life. I feel indebted to my government; therefore, I’ll obey the laws. Socrates, for instance, relies on the argument of gratitude as one of his reasoning’s why he won’t disobey the law even if he was wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He states, “Did we not give you life in the first place? Was it not through us that your father and married your mother and begot you? Tell us, have you any complaint against… laws which deal with children’s upbringing and education such as you yourself had? Are you grateful to those of laws which were institutes or his end requiring your father to give you a cultural and
In conclusion everyday we feel gratitude for something sometimes not even knowing it and it is a big thing in our lives that affects us a lot. People getting something for you, your parents buy you something that you want or just something happens that is just makes you happy and it makes you feel
The obligation of each citizen, therefore, is to fulfill a constitutional duty by enforcing the laws therein.
Growing up, we have it drilled into our heads that we should always follow the rules, and never break the law. From parents, realatives, teachers, and generally any adult do we hear these messages. I guess I took all of that advice to heart, because I try to always follow the rules, and obey the law. Most of my peers however, do not listen to what their seniors told them as children. As a child, laws seem like the foundation that civilization was supported by. If someone does something that wrongs another person, they are punished. Sounds like a good idea, right?
To what extent must our laws that which govern the people, change or adapt with the people? In an ever-progressing world is it feasible to rely on the same government that once lead our founding fathers? Is it even possible or reasonable for a nation to remain governed by the same laws that allowed slavery, unequal protection, and severely limited our rights of privacy? History has answered these questions for us: no. But before these changes even occurred, Thomas Jefferson asked the same question in regards to the laws of our land. After all, it was the inability of the long- standing British parliament to govern the people that lead to its colonial downfall, the Declaration of Independence, and creation of the United States. From these
There have been many people that have partaken in the act of not following, or breaking a law that they personally have deemed unjust throughout history, or taken part in civil disobedience . Socrates as well as Dr. Martin Luther King have done this. But the question of whether or not we should be required to follow a law that one personally believes is unjust is very hard to answer. Nevertheless, I believe that we should in fact be able to disobey a law and or a decision that we consider to be unjust. However, in saying this there are some guidelines that come with this. I am not saying that one should just have a complete disregard for the law, which would result in chaos and there would not be a civil society. Nonetheless, what I am
Envision if everyone in the world decided to go around breaking laws because they did not agree with them. There would be a bunch of unnecessary arrests, great amount of violence, and the world would be a terrible place to live. As citizens of this country we have the commitment to adhere to the rules, laws, and submit to any consequences we may receive. In the great words of Socrates, “One should never do wrong in return, nor do any man harm, no matter what he may have done to you.” Breaking laws is never morally justifiable.
Are we morally obliged to obey even unjust laws? Think about what this means. This means that laws, regardless of how unfair, unjust, or immoral they may be, must be followed with no better reason that they are the law. To the thesis that we are obliged to obey even unjust laws, I will argue that the standard objections to Civil Disobedience, given by Singer, are incorrect
When it comes down to laws, it is really your own choice to determine; what’s the good way? Is it to obey or disobey? What is correct, what is incorrect? Questions like these go through people's minds right before they are about to act. The law is there obviously for people to follow, but that is not always the case.
Are we morally obliged to obey even unjust laws? This moral question addresses what we commonly know as civil disobedience. In order to properly discuss civil disobedience and whether or not it is moral to disobey laws, we must first characterize civil disobedience. In Peter Singer's book, Practical Ethics he begins to characterize civil disobedience as arising from "ethical disagreement" and raising the question of whether "to uphold the law, even if the law protects and sanctions things we hold utterly wrong?" (Singer 292).
Breaking the law is morally justifiable and acceptable when the law in itself is iniquitous and if that law violates human rights and conscience; Certainly, rules are established for us to follow but we as human beings should be able to differentiate the right and the wrong and incase laws need to be violated for the right cause even with hard consequences, breaking the law can be justified; considering the situations and the purposes.
Upholding the law is the most important job of a government. In this social contract, citizens decide to reduce the freedoms that they have to become safer. A stable, safe society is able to constantly exist due to people following the law. When someone breaks the law, consequences are imposed upon them to preserve peace and to set an example.
The citizens need law to know what behavior is socially and legally acceptable and to be able to deal consequences to those who do not follow the law. In any society laws must be obeyed for the good of its citizens. In a sense, obedience to the law is voluntary. At least in countries that enjoy freedom, citizens are permitted to carry on wit life’s activities, for the most part, as each sees fit. The citizens obey traffic laws because they should. Despite the criteria, they pay taxes because they should. However, they have freedom to decide including the decision to not obey laws.
"One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." Martin Luther King's words, which just correspond with the above assertion, perfectly tell us what to do in face of laws, either just or unjust.
Ban animal cruelty! Give aid to the poor! Save the rainforests! Obey the law! As a human race we must strive to fulfill these commands, for they are our moral duties and obligations. Our obligation to morality sometimes leads to a dilemma. What happens when a law contradicts the morally right thing to do? Would it be moral to act illegally by breaking the law? No matter how drastic the measure, we are still required to act morally--even if one must break the law to do so. But why is it so important to be moral that one could justify something as serious as breaking the law?
Showing gratitude towards others is a great way to express good character. Being thankful and showing appreciation for those in our lives helps us strengthen our character and show others the good in ourselves. Being grateful is also a way of being humble and allowing others to see that we don’t think we are better than them. Gratitude can sometimes be hard to find, but there are many ways to show how grateful we are. Thank you cards, gift baskets, personal thank you’s, gifts, and small acts of kindness are great ways to show the people in our lives that we