Comparing Socrates And King On Civil Disobedience

Comparing Socrates and King: On Civil Disobedience Socrates, amongst the most influential thinkers to emerge from Greek civilization and, perhaps the most noble and wisest Athenian to have ever lived, many centuries before Christ, is noted for not writing anything himself as all that is known about his philosophical thought is through the writings of Xenophon and Plato. By contrast, Martin Luther King Jr. lived in the nineteenth century wherein his main legacy was to secure progress on African American civil rights in the United States. Although it appears that both Socrates and King are incomparable in that their historical contexts are distinctive; Plato’s Crito, a dialogue between Socrates and Crito wherein Socrates refuses to escape†¦show more content†¦Not only that, but he argues that the offspring [who was born because the city regulates marriage] and slave of the state and has no right to destroy the state by failing to obey it after it has been so beneficial to him (Plato 39). On the other hand, King does not deem rational argument as the expert on the law; rather it stems from God as he notes that â€Å"a just law is a code that squares with the moral law or the law of God† (King 408). Although Socrates was wrongly imprisoned and waiting the death penalty, which he acknowledges, he, according to his argument, is not permitted to act unjustly in return, or break the law. Pertaining to justice, the laws to Socrates are the most important and in order to keep the city functioning as he states in the dialogue, â€Å"in comparison with [one’s] mother and father and all [one’s] forebears, [the] fatherland is more precious and venerable, more sacred and held in higher esteem among gods, as well as among human beings who have any sense† (Plato 39). Again, Martin Luther King Jr. departs from Socrates’ view in that he argues that those laws that are unjust need to be broken in a civil way, in order to direct consideration of their shortcomings. According to King, â€Å"one has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws [and] one has aShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King Jr.862 Words   |  4 Pagesdemonstrate selflessness by cul tivating entire societies, at any cost. Specifically, in comparing human rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. and Greek Philosopher, Socrates, understanding the overall purpose each of their journey’s these men ultimately shared a common goal. In this proclamation, I will prove that without a doubt, Socrates would have agreed with Martin Luther King’s ideas of civil disobedience. Socrates was a man in search of wisdom, truths, and justice, who simply refused to accept theRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of King s King 1558 Words   |  7 PagesI. Thesis: King brilliantly applies rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos and ethos that are crucial in successfully influencing detractors of his philosophical views on civil disobedience. II. 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