Martin Luther King Jr. and Socrates, both born in different time periods, are both similar in the fact that they are both defending their beliefs, and so different with regards to their approach for redemption and their opinions on the issue of civil disobedience. Dr. King was victimized for his skin color, and Socrates for his way of thinking. Socrates and Martin, through the uses of persuasion and persona, convey that what they did was not civil disobedience, but that they acted for the betterment of society.
To start with, Socrates and King spent time in prison during their works, King in Birmingham’s Jail and Socrates residing in a prison in Greece. Both refused to give up their arguments in exchange for their departure. Socrates believes the “damage” he has caused can no longer be reversed by saying “if I escape now, your sons will all be utterly ruined by listening to my words,” (Plato 420). Both are aware that their accusers aren’t knowledgeable, Socrates says “he asked the oracle to tell him whether any one was wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess answered that ...
Making a comparison of Dr. King’s letter from Birmingham with the woks of Plato particularly in the apology is just like comparing two statements regarding moral theory which in most cases do overlap. Each of the two texts makes a discussion of the nature of justice plus the kinds of injustices not forgetting what challenging justice implies. The two pieces of work are in one way or the other, from the political standpoint, that is, in Socrates’ case or in another channel a leader as seen in King’s case who is clearly beset with the political unpopularity. In his work, Socrates says specifically that he has got many foes, who are not only enemies, but those foes of the worst are also dangerous kind. In a similar way, the King’ s letter is a response to the 8 Alabama clergymen who had been publicly criticizing the king as being both unwise and untimely in the vent of his protests at a place referred to as Birmingham. The protests at Birmingham were aimed at the desegregations of the public accommodations as a matter of national policy as well as law. Similarly, from an analytical standpoint, the texts are the same in the manner in which they systematically dissect and pretty most of the destroying arguments which had been directed to them.
Ever since human civilization came into existence, people have been putting rules in place to determine who is behaving according to social norms and moral values and who is not. Because the majority of Western societies have historically been democratic, it makes sense that the public have a say in the enforcement of said rules. It is for this reason that the trial became a popular means of deciding upon punishment for those perceived to have broken the law, while also allowing them an opportunity to testify against their charges. Socrates underwent this process in 399 BC on charges of impiety and corruption of the youth of Athens , as did Louis Riel in 1885 on charges of treason for leading a Métis rebellion . Although they lived during vastly
"an unjust law is no law at all."- quote by St. Augustine who was an Christian theologian and philosopher, whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity. Martin Luther King Jr. was a baptist minister and civil rights leader that made advancements for civil rights peacefully, exclusively for African Americans in America. Mohandas Gandhi was a non-violent leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule. Accordingly, both MLK Jr. and Gandhi were leaders for civil rights that practiced and preached non-violent approaches for their freedom.Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi were both valid in their judgment to break the law for their peaceful protests.
Socrates a classical Greek philosopher and character of Plato’s book Phaedo, defines a philosopher as one who has the greatest desire of acquiring knowledge and does not fear death or the separation of the body from the soul but should welcome it. Even in his last days Socrates was in pursuit of knowledge, he presents theories to strengthen his argument that the soul is immortal. His attempts to argue his point can’t necessarily be considered as convincing evidence to support the existence of an immortal soul.
Socrates shares similar qualities as Martin Luther King Jr. In comparison, both men exposed their beliefs, methods, and philosophies to convey social change. Socrates and Dr. King rebelled against accepting social norm. Socrates taught his followers to defy tradition and question their knowledge on law, virtue, immorality, ethnics, wisdom, logic, etc. Dr. King encouraged equality and fought to erase racial segregation. Though they faced different circumstances, their motives were the same; they persuaded individuals to think for themselves. Socrates was executed and Dr. King was assassinated, but both men died honoring their principle, despite the public disapprovals and
In Walter Mosley’s Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, the reader is introduced to Socrates Fortlow, an ex-convict who served twenty-seven years for murder and rape. Fortlow is plagued by guilt and, seeing the chaos in his town, feels a need to improve not only his own standards of living, but also those of others in Watts. He attempts this by teaching the people in Watts the lessons he feels will resolve the many challenges the neighbourhood faces. The lessons Fortlow teaches and the methods by which he teaches them are very similar to those of the ancient Greek philosopher for whom Fortlow was named: “‘We was poor and country. My mother couldn’t afford school so she figured that if she named me after somebody smart then maybe I’d get smart’” (Mosley, 44). Though the ancient Greek was born to be a philosopher and Fortlow assumed the philosopher role as a response to the poor state of his life and Watts, both resulted in the same required instruction to their populations. The two Socrates’ both utilize a form of teaching that requires their pupil to become engaged in the lesson. They emphasize ethics, logic, and knowledge in their instruction, and place importance on epistemology and definitions because they feel a problem cannot be solved if one does not first know what it is. Socrates was essential in first introducing these concepts to the world and seemed to be born with them inherent to his being, Fortlow has learned the ideals through life experience and is a real-world application in an area that needs the teachings to get on track. While the two men bear many similarities, their differences they are attributed primarily as a result of their circumstances provide the basis of Fortlow’s importance in Watts and as a modern-...
In fact, it’s I who can call what I think is a sufficient witness that I’m telling the truth, my poverty.” (Plato 661) Socrates also states “if I really do corrupt the young or have corrupted them in the past, surely if any of them had recognized when they became older that I’d given them bad advice at some point in their youth, they’d now have come forward themselves to accuse me and seek redress. Or else, if they weren’t willing to come themselves, some of their family members…would remember it now and seek redress.” (Plato 663) There was no one in the audience who stepped forward to speak on behalf of his accusers. Socrates consistently proved by words, how the accusations against him were false. In the end, he was accused of all of these things and put to death. This goes to show how much they truly hated Socrates and that no matter what they were told, it wouldn’t have mattered, they would have found a way to punish him in the
Martin Luther King Jr. is a historical martyr for his ambition and dedication towards racial equality. His words of wisdom, displayed in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, have been carried down through many generations as one of the nation’s most captivating and intuitive philosophical views. However, his words are rooted from the great philosophers that have come before him; such as Plato, Descartes, Rousseau, and Mill.
Comparing the Civil Disobedience of Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau, and Mohandas Gandhi. From the onset of man fighting for freedom or his beliefs, the question has always been whether one person can make a difference using words rather than wars. Philosophically, the concept of civil disobedience would appear to be an ineffective weapon against political injustice; history however has proven it to repeatedly be one of the most powerful weapons of the common man. Martin Luther King Jr. looked at the way African Americans were treated in the United States and saw an increase in inequality.
Making comparisons: I would describe these political thinking and practiced expressed as something that took a lot of knowledge about the world and people behavior. These two writings share their ideas first and how they think things will turn out. This makes me think that all these people took a long thought process before offical establishing it. Though those people might not agree with one another, because they had their own unique ideal ruling. For example, Pericles, and Aristides might agree with Ashoka, because they have the belief of equality, and they might learn a little bit from each other. While Han Fei would be the only disagreeing, because he does not believe in soft punishment.
Socrates and Martin Luther King Jr. have shown and voiced their own and have their own definitions of civil disobedience. Socrates believed in the law as complete truth. He believed that all individuals are to follow the laws. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that the laws had flaws, and that it was our responsibility to get them to change. Would Socrates agree with Martin Luther King Jr. on his acts of civil disobedience? I believe Socrates would agree with Martin Luther King Jr. on everything that he did, except when he actually broke the law which led him to be jailed in Birmingham.
Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.’s essay “Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience” has two main features. The first feature of King’s essay is a call for action; action to bring about change. The second feature, the more easily viewed feature of this essay is a call for a specific type of action to bring about a specific type of change. The change King wishes to bring about is a peace and equality brought about through non-violent actions.
Socrates, according to Plato challenged the norms of society by questioning life and having others question it as well. He was labeled of “corrupting the youth” and for not believing in the Athenians gods. “Socrates is guilty of corrupting the young, and of not acknowledging the gods the city acknowledges, but new daimonic activities instead.” (The Apology, pp 654) Although, he was cast by being “corrupt”, Socrates had many followers that saw him as a wise man. Socrates trial was made up of thirty jurors, who were later known as “The Thirty.” The “Thirty” really wanted was to silence Socrates, rather than taking his life. However, Socrates did not want to disobey the laws, he did not want to be violated of his right to freedom of speech, nor did he did he want to be undermine his moral position. (The Apology, pp. 647) He stood against injustice acts several times while he was in counsel. “I was the sort...
Thesis: Actions, beliefs, and patience are characteristics that are comparable in both the lives of Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato were two of the most influential and knowledgeable ancients in our history. Their contributions and dedication to science, language and politics are immensely valued centuries later. But while the two are highly praised for their works, they viewed several subjects entirely differently, particularly education practices, and human ethics and virtue.