About Civil Disobedience: Plato and Martin Luther King’s Views

In this argumentative essay about civil disobedience, I will argue that Martin Luther King’s views about civil disobedience are more credible and trustworthy compared to Plato’s beliefs by addressing the prevalence of racial segregation and discrimination, and comparing and contrasting the activist and philosopher’s views to the modern society.

According to the article entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., King emphasized that it is important to refuse to obey certain laws because “when the ordinance is used to preserve segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and peaceful protest, then [the law] becomes unjust”. This powerful statement indicates that when certain laws become unfair, one should not respect these regulations and combat the suppression one had endured.

In order to emotionally connect with the audience and deliver a persuasive argument, Martin Luther King Jr. shares his own personal experiences – how he himself and his family had been victimized by the growth of segregation and discrimination. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. explains that “when [one has] seen vicious mobs lynch [at their] mothers and fathers at will… drown [their] sisters and brothers at whim… seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, and brutalize… [their] black brothers and sisters with impunity… [one] will understand why we find it difficult to wait [to take an action]”. Based on his personal experiences, King encourages individuals to eradicate segregation and peacefully unite together by participating “in [an] nonviolent campaign” to help reduce racial discrimination. In addition, Martin Luther King Jr. states that “when you suddenly find your speech stammering as you to seek to explain to your six-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park… and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to colored children”. King informs the younger generation how stereotypes can be misleading, since they only contain partial truths and cautions them to expand their perspectives by disintegrating racial segregation. In order to reinforce the message of this article, Martin Luther King Jr. reiterates his beliefs about the need to break laws through a “nonviolent campaign” in a consistent manner, which further strengthens his credibility.

Throughout the letter, Martin Luther King Jr. describes how untruthful ideas are being formed about the minority population and this is perpetuating the growth of segregation. According to the article entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., the author recommends following four different steps to help reduce the prevalence of segregation and discrimination: Gathering important information “to determine whether injustices are” present, “negotiation,” “self-purification, and direct action”. For the first step, individuals should gather important and reliable information that highlights the presence of unfair treatments and determine if this information is harmful to the human population. For the second step, individuals should discuss about racial segregation and come to a consensus of whether the information portrayed is accurate or inaccurate; and provide alternative solutions if there are no agreements between each groups. For the third step, “self-purification,” Martin Luther King suggested to reiterate the following “questions, are you able to accept blows without [any retaliation] and are you able to endure the ordeals of jail?”. For the last step, Martin Luther King Jr. recommended to take a “direct action” in a peaceful manner if there are no agreements between the members of each group.

By remaining hopeful and maintaining a powerful tone, Martin Luther King Jr. shares his beliefs about civil disobedience, creates a sense of trust among the readers, and explains how one can minimize the negative effects of racial segregation and discrimination. In addition, Martin Luther King Jr. explains that “oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever… the urge for freedom will eventually come” and therefore, advises them to help eradicate segregation and not form preconceived judgements for any ethnic groups. When emotions such as empathy and compassion are expressed, this increases the author’s credibility and makes his arguments stronger because he is able to connect with the audience in an emotional manner. This explains that Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to disobey the laws through “nonviolent” methods, since racial segregation was only bringing harm to the human population. Although many proponents would argue that it is not justifiable to disobey the laws for any particular reasons (even if the protest is performed peacefully and nonviolently), some individuals believe that during certain situations when the case (segregation) is very extreme, it is important to not respect the laws. 

According to the paper entitled Crito by Plato about civil disobedience his argument in this essay was about Socrates' thoughts on civil rights and laws. He emphasized that it is important to follow all laws and regulations, which is shown when he states that “one must never do wrong… nor must one, when wronged, inflict wrong in return, as the majority believe, since one must never do wrong”. This statement indicates that it would not be correct if an individual did not follow the laws because disrespecting the regulations can be considered as an act of wrongdoing.

The primary purpose of this speech is to convince Socrates to escape from his imprisonment by breaking the laws and saving his life. Socrates remains determined and explains that even if an individual has cause harm to another human being, intentionally or inadvertently, it would not be justified if one were to repeat these same acts. For instance, Crito believed that '[he does] not think that what [Socrates is] doing is just, to give up your life when you can save it, and... [believes that Socrates is] betraying his sons by going away... when [he] could bring them up and educate them'. According to this article, Crito emphasized that it is important to consider about the well-being of one's family and encourages him to escape his confinement by refusing to follow the laws. Furthermore, Crito argues that life is very valuable and for the love of his family, he should not risk his life. In order to further strengthen his argument, Crito reiterates his beliefs by stating that Socrates' children 'will probably have the usual fate of orphans [and suggests that] one should share with them to the end toil of upbringing and education'. Despite Crito's advice, Socrates refuses to disobey the laws because he believes that all regulations must be respected regardless of whether they are fair or unfair. For example, Socrates provides an example of the human body, where he explains that when an individual performs aerobic exercises, he should only listen to the teachings of the instructor who has expertise in this field. He further concludes that if this individual refuses to '[obey] the one, and disregards his opinions... then the harm is [inflicted] to his body'. Socrates uses this analogy to explain that if an individual cares about the beliefs of the majority and ignores the views of the instructor, then the individual is causing more damage because one is not following the advice of the experienced instructor and focusing more on what other people would say.

In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr.'s views about civil disobedience are more credible and trustworthy than Plato's views because Luther stated that when certain laws become unfair, one should not respect these regulations and combat the suppression one had endured. On the other hand, Plato shared the opinion of Socrates which stated that each person should care about the law and following it no matter what if an individual cares about the beliefs of the majority.