Is It Ever OK To Break The Law?

It's pretty likely that all of us have broken the law at some point in minor ways, like jaywalking, or going a few miles over the speed limit. These rarely present us with a true conflict, as law enforcement itself really doesn't even care. These things might as well be legal.

But what if it involves something more significant? What if we believe that a law is highly unjust or compels us to do something wrong? Should we then break it, and encourage others to do it?

Great thinkers throughout history would answer differently. In a strong view of social contract theory (such as Thomas Hobbes), such actions would never or very seldom be justified, lest the social order crumble. Socrates and would argue that laws are only legitimate when they conform to absolute principles that supercede human society, like justice or the right to property.

One can see how society cannot function if everyone is determining what laws to follow and what not to follow based on their own thoughts or feelings at every turn. On the other hand, there have been laws throughout history and the present that horrify us and we could not follow in good conscience.

Join us for another lively discussion!

Brent Hardaway is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Brent Hardaway's Zoom Meeting
Time: Dec 12, 2020 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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