What Was Martin Luther King Like Socrates

King, Jr. was a strong believer in the fact that every race should be treated equally to one another. As Edward Berry stated in his own Rhetorical Analysis, “Doing Time: King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail””, King dreamed of a time where whites and blacks could be equal (111). Some of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s largest achievements through this movement where the March on Washington, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and obviously the Birmingham Campaign. He gave his all into this movement and on April 4, 1969, at the young age of 39, was assassinated because of his belief in racial equality and gave his life for the Civil Rights Campaign. Like Martin Luther King said in his piece, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, “I am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom far beyond my own hometown (1). And that he did. Which is one of the biggest reasons that he is so widely remembered in the United States of America and

Martin Luther King was a honourable leader during his time he was famous for his speech “ I had a dream’ In this speech he calls for an end to racism in the United States and preaches his vision of a society in which race was not an issue in how people were treated or in how they were allowed to live their lives. Because of this speech the Negros respected him. He said this speech in front of millions who came to listen and for that he is a very brave man.

In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. the author makes multiple allusions to philosophers. His comparison make it seem as if he shares likeness with them. King’s work was highly devoted to one thing only, the protection of civil disobedience so that the civil rights movement could go on uncompromised. Although King only had one purpose the complexity of the situation called for unity by eight Alabama clergymen for a decision. In this way King’s letter served more than the one singular purpose of fighting for civil rights, he used it to establish himself as a credible authority amongst his audience, let the trials of the black in America be shown, and to argue the absolute necessity of immediate action.

* Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement, who based his ideology on equality for both black people and white people. King wanted integration in society, and worked alongside such Civil

Martin Luther King Jr. believed in transcendence, believing we all should be treated fairly and that right and wrong does exist. King’s critics violate non-contradiction, appropriate authority, and equivocation. The oppress gets freedom when they demand it. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, King uses evidence to prove his statements. King believed in just and unjust laws. To King 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. Unjust laws can be broken if it’s something you believe in and needs to be stood up for, even if that are consequences that go along with your decision. King wanted better for African American and did not want them to suffer from unfair justice any longer. Dr. King was a motivational speaker who supported non-violence actions and believe that no man should fight with their hands but with their words. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, King is not only appealing to Christian Authorities but to other beliefs and religions also. King blames the regular white society instead of the powerful white supremacists because they were the ones that are not doing anything to help the blacks overcome the triumph. The legislator states that it is democratically correct that only the white can vote. The white individuals equivocate the word democratically saying that only whites can vote, when in reality anyone can vote. Just because a person makes a claim about the blacks, does not mean they have all of the credentials to make that direct claim. King refers to the bible and utilizes it in his letter by saying that by doing right and believing in God does not mean that the result will always be in your favor the first time around. King says that even though doing right is not always easy, we should not give up and continue to strive for the success that you

When you hear the name Martin Luther King Jr., the first thing that comes to mind is probably racism against African Americans. He is famous for his wisdom and persuasive speeches against segregation of African Americans. This statement holds strongly true because today diverse races are integrated all over the united states. For what ever reason, Martin has been an inspiration to many African Americans. He accomplished his success mostly through speeches, but also through his written essays. Although, his speeches were intense and filled with much persuasion, Martin had a way with words when he wrote too. This is displayed in professional fashion in the "Letter From Birmingham Jail." Martin displayed a circus of statements in response to

To begin, Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American rights activist and an impressive preacher. One day during a peaceful protest, he was arrested and sent to the Birmingham Jail. In jail, he wrote a detailed, metaphoric letter to the clergy men, speaking about the recent racism problems and how to fix it. He wrote page after page of issues, using several examples and many iconic phrases from history. Martin Luther King Jr. was not an uneducated fool, as many seen him. He knew that if he used ethos, pathos, and logos, he would get many people on his side, consisting his notable character known by the church, his ability to evoke sympathy, and his logical way to present this problem.

Martin Luther King Jr., he was a brilliant and potent leader of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement was inspires by the writings of Gandhi and Thoreau. King had a commitment to try to end racial segregation and discrimination. King did speeches, petitions and got the U.S. people and government involved. Kings philosophy was a nonviolence resistance. In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King states “There are two kinds of laws: unjust and just laws.” (221-222). “An unjust law is no law at all,” stated Saint

Imagine the feeling of sitting in room isolated from the rest of the world, left alone with your thoughts and kept guarded away from freedom. What would one with their spare time? Would one contemplate escape? Would one sit alone with their thoughts and fixate on what has led to such a lonely end? Would one compose a letter to those who detained them? Perhaps these are the same thoughts that inspired the words of Socrates, in Plato’s Crito or the emotional words that were spewed on paper by Dr. Martin Luther King while detained in Birmingham Jail. The philosophy of Socrates and Dr. Martin Luther King are grounded in peace. Both philosophers are faced with conflict from the laws put in place by the society that they are in. The purpose of this essay is to compare how each philosopher discusses the concept of law. The fictional tales of Socrates was inspiration to the belated Dr. King as he strived to challenge the status quo set for society. Throughout Plato’s poems Socrates constantly stretched the mental capabilities of those who conversed, and at times even challenged him. Dr. King was not fearful of “Causing tension to the mind” of those around him. In particular Dr. King challenged his ideals of those who opposed his approach of nonviolent protesting. In “The letter from a Birmingham Jail” Dr. King response to a clergyman in form of a letter. This letter expresses the many obstacles put in front of Dr. King as he strives to create an equal society for African-American or

King was born into a family with a history of being Baptist Ministers. King was taught moral and religious education from his father. He believed in and learned the Christian faith and therefore, believed in love and kindness over hate. In addition, his mother taught him and his siblings that they are just as good as anyone else. As the website dedicated to informing people about King’s life states it, “Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950s and 60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States” (Thekingcenter.org). His Christian faith and upbringing led to the way he conducted his civil rights campaign. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in nonviolent protests to bring about change. King believed that this was the best way, rather than resorting to violence. In fact, King was the head of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man and was arrested. (thekingcenter.org) Martin Luther King, Jr.’s efforts resulted in the the U.S Supreme Court ordering Montgomery to integrate its buses and himself emerging as a national leader of the American civil rights movement. King was able

Martin Luther King’s views came from his letter that he wrote in jail. That letter was called “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.].” In this letter, he talks about the law's, justification, and nonviolent. Martin Luther King claims that there are two types of laws just and unjust laws. He believes in the just laws, and he would be one of the first to follow them. Also that an individual has a right and a moral right to perform these just laws as well. There is a difference between just and unjust laws. A Just law is made code that contains moral law and or the law of the God. While the unjust law is a law that doesn’t include any moral law.

We question his moral philosophy. Is he a deontologist? It is important to understand what deontology is before proceeding. Deontology states an idea to ethics that decides if a certain act itself is right or wrong. For example, a deontologist believes that one should never lie, even if a killer asks for a location of his next victim. Act to will your actions to the universal law, just like utilitarianism it is a black or white moral decision guider. He could not have been a deontologist because he is promoting the action of breaking unjust laws if it is for a morally acceptable reason. A deontologist would not promote breaking even unjust laws, because if one breaks an unjust law, then it can lead to everyone breaking laws. No, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was not a deontologist because he does not promote one should act only based on universal law.

There were many circumstances in the life of Socrates and Marin Luther King which reveals their approach towards changing the world. They took several measures to improve the lives of people but the worst thing is that there end was not good. They both died in the hands of injustice. Socrates said that people should believe on their own caliber and follow the truth rather than following the majority. MLK on the other hand elaborates the topic of just and unjust law and how it is related to the unjust law. Their approaches were not similar but their intentions were same. Now the main question is ‘Is there any way we can response to those various instances of social injustice? What are unjust law and application of unjust law and how should we

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, from December, 1955 till to April 4, 1968, African Americans accomplished more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced. Dr. King is broadly regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history. Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King led a "nonviolent movement" in the late 1950’s and ‘60s to accomplish legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. While others were supporting for liberty by “any means necessary,” including violence, but Martin used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. He went to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always preserving loyalty to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Believed in achieving equality through peaceful demonstrations: “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” (King, pg.3 ¶.1). He felt that equality had to be gained through honorable, civil ways otherwise those fighting for equality were no better than the slave owners. We can see this best when he says, “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence” (King, pg.3 ¶.2). MLK felt that it was in the best interests of all parties for black to integrate into society. A couple of his quotes that show this best are, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (King, pg.4 ¶.6). and “I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers” (King, pg.5 ¶.2).