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Recommended: The apology by socrates

The theme in the Apology is that "one should never betray one's own philosophy for any reason, even if the reason is death." Socrates stuck to his "commitment to truth" even if it meant death. Socrates believes he will gain truth through death. After all, it would be illogical to fear death which is the unknown. How can one fear something that they don't even know? Doing the right thing is always more important than dying as Martin Luther believed. He had said, one has a moral responsibility to obey just laws and disobey unjust laws.1 This essay will argue that one does not have an obligation to obey unjust laws that is a valid rule from the political authority in which one is physically located. A valid rule of the legal system is justified in that it is created go the good of the general public.2 Political authority can be defined as the state that issues and maintains laws which the general public obeys because they accept it as the authority which gives the state power. Under certain circumstance, the law or political authority may be disobeyed. Democracy seems to be the most justifiable political authority to hold. This essay will first analyze what a political authority is. It will differentiate political authority and political power and a just and unjust law. It will discuss Socrates' attitude toward death.
Political authority must be differentiated from political power. Political power would
1. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]”
2. Authority, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

be “concerned with the state's or any agent's ability to get others to act in ways that they desire even when the subject does not want to do what the agent wants him to do ”. 3 An example would be in Russia's history. Russia used to ...

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...ual respect.
Compared to Plato’s Republic, democracy may not be ideal but it seems to be the most justifiable political authority to hold. Democracy represents the people. It represents the people’s view who elect them. The “interests, rights, and opinions” of most people in society are taken into account.7 The people have the freedom of speech and expression. They are free criticise their own government. Democracy is dubbed to be the “best decision-making method” based on the ground that it is more reliable in that many people come to a right decision.8 Due to the great deal of minds put together, many sources, informations, and critical analysis is put into the decision making. The people have a say in running the state, economy, and society to create a better balanced environment. Human rights are respected.
7,8. Democracy, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

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