Moral Obligation: Socrates & Martin Luther King Jr

Solution Preview

Note to the Student:

I have decided to create an extensive solution for you as I have done previously. It goes beyond 600 words to present more information via examples and discourse that seek to present an analysis of the work of King & Socrates, grounding them in their respective places in history and analysing both men and their belief systems, culminating in a comparison of their beliefs. I have done so because I wanted to create a good resource for you, to serve not only as a resource and a guide but as a model that you can rework when creating your final paper. I have attached the word version of this solution, it is print ready. I have written this solution following the APA format. Good Luck!

Sincerely,
OTA 105878/
------------------------------

Journal Notes

Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Seminal Work

Bass (2001) declares that Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" as the most important written document of the civil rights era. It found a purpose to be that pronounced, tangible, thought-provoking and reproducible narrative of the long and painful road to freedom and equality. As a movement, theirs was centered on non-violent action and speech - frustrating, verging on desperate. King lived in the era of segregation where racism against the disenfranchised, especially the 'negro' as he referred to the African American, seemed to be an institutionalized practice in America despite the long established abolition of Slavery post Civil-War. A peace-advocating and intelligent clergyman, what seemed at that time to be a hurried and pragmatic response to criticism of the peaceful protest movement he led in Birmingham that saw him imprisoned is now considered a seminal and classic writing in social movement literature.

At the heart of King's argument is the now oft repeated statement "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The letter he answered to, the now famous "A Call for Unity" penned by white clergymen acknowledged that social injustices exist but deplored the civil rights movement in the streets, labelling the peaceful action extremist as such issues ought to be fought in court. King's defense is that without non-violent direct actions, true civil rights cannot be achieved or exercised. He believes that civil disobedience is justified when it is faced with what he terms as unjust laws. For him, "one has a moral ...