The Emotions of Nonviolence: Revisiting MLK Jr.’s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

"Letter from Birmingham Jail" is perhaps the most beloved and widely read work by Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite the countless publications on its conception and meaning, its broader philosophical significance is often missed. The Emotions of Nonviolence (2025, Oxford University Press) offers a novel interpretation of the Letter, which Meena Krishnamurthy argues is not merely a discussion of civil disobedience, but also an essay on political motivation. In this context, she shows how the Letter seeks to answer a central question in democratic theory: namely, how can and ought we motivate the racially oppressed to engage in civil disobedience, what King called nonviolent direct action? King's answer, she says, is that we should appeal to and encourage the political emotions, both positive and negative. Fear, courage, faith, dignity, indignation, and love can together motivate nonviolent action-and nonviolent action can in turn reciprocally motivate and sustain these same emotions.

Krishnamurthy's novel and important reading of King's Letter illuminates its complexity and its underlying theory of political emotions, including the impediments to action under conditions of injustice, calls some to account for their inaction, engages in propagandizing to motivate a change, and to commend the thousands of ordinary Black people already in motion in pursuit of democracy, freedom, and justice.

Meena Krishnamurthy
https://www.queensu.ca/philosophy/people/meena-krishnamurthy
Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy
Queen's University

(Suggested reading: "Democracy Needs Discomfort and Distrust is a Political Virtue" by Meena Krishnamurthy, Psyche)

About the Speaker:

I am a political philosopher who studies democracy, race, social movements, and political psychology — not as abstract ideals, but as lived struggles. My research explores the emotional undercurrents of politics: the anger that fuels resistance, the distrust that challenges authority, and the hopeful disappointment that keeps people pushing forward even when justice feels out of reach. I’m especially interested in how civil rights activists—like Martin Luther King, Jr. — used words, images, and protest to engage these emotions, forcing both individuals and institutions to confront uncomfortable truths and reckon with the need for change.

I’ve shared my work with audiences across academic and public spaces, engaging with scholars, activists, and others grappling with the complexities of democracy today. Beyond research and teaching, I am committed to making philosophy more inclusive. I created Philosopher, a blog highlighting underrepresented voices in the field, and launched the Inclusive Bibliography on Race, Gender, and Related Topics, a widely used resource for scholars and students. I’ve also contributed to efforts to decolonize political theory and worked with programs like PIKSI Rock and the Summer Institute of the Canadian Philosophical Association, helping students from underrepresented backgrounds see themselves in philosophy.

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This is a talk with audience Q&A presented by the University of Toronto's Centre for Ethics that is free to attend and open to the public. Free refreshments will be provided at the event. Sometimes we look for each other after the talk for further discussion about the topic.

The talk will also be streamed online with live chat here [to be posted].

About the Centre for Ethics (http://ethics.utoronto.ca):

The Centre for Ethics is an interdisciplinary centre aimed at advancing research and teaching in the field of ethics, broadly defined. The Centre seeks to bring together the theoretical and practical knowledge of diverse scholars, students, public servants and social leaders in order to increase understanding of the ethical dimensions of individual, social, and political life.

In pursuit of its interdisciplinary mission, the Centre fosters lines of inquiry such as (1) foundations of ethics, which encompasses the history of ethics and core concepts in the philosophical study of ethics; (2) ethics in action, which relates theory to practice in key domains of social life, including bioethics, business ethics, and ethics in the public sphere; and (3) ethics in translation, which draws upon the rich multiculturalism of the City of Toronto and addresses the ethics of multicultural societies, ethical discourse across religious and cultural boundaries, and the ethics of international society.

The Ethics of A.I. Lab at the Centre For Ethics recently appeared on a list of 10 organizations leading the way in ethical A.I.: https://ocean.sagepub.com/blog/10-organizations-leading-the-way-in-ethical-ai