- According to MLK, how can we tell the difference between just and unjust laws? Understanding this questions is the most important part of this module, and I will ask it again during our second exam.
- In your view, is this an important distinction (between just and unjust laws), do you think it makes a difference in the way someone (as an individual, or our society as a whole) lives their lives? Can it affect our politics?
- Based on our discussion of Question 1, give an example each, of an unjust and just law, in the US today. Explain what makes it unjust or just (using MLK’s definition of those two types of laws).
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1. According to MLK, “Unjust laws is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distort the soul and damages the personality.” An example of that unjust law was MLK having to explain to his daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see the tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people. Just law was explained is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.
2. In my view unjust and just law make an important distinction, Justice cultivates trust and mutual respect among individuals, and promotes peace, cohesion, and prosperity within societies. Injustice Defined: Injustice, on the other hand, represents a deviation from the ideals of justice. It refers to situations where individuals or groups are treated unfairly or inequitably.
3. I believe an unjust law in the U.S today would be a suspended drivers license; maye. Suspended Drivers Licenses. An individual can lose their driver’s license if they cannot afford to pay their court debt, a valid driver’s license is the single most important factor in getting and maintaining a job.
A Just law example would be the right to vote for government leaders with the explicit understanding that they will work to protect and work in that society’s best interests.