- According to MLK, how can we tell the difference between just and unjust laws?
Martin L King gives us his meaning and examples between just and unjust laws. He says that “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. His two definitions are “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”
- 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? In my view, I do believe that there is an important distinction between both laws and that it does make a difference in the way someone lives their lives. The letter mentions how Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. The example the letter gives is that All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.
- 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).
An example of unjust would be if someone gets treated better than the other due to there gender or race which continues to happen in the US today. Since it is degrading to other humans and unfair towards them. An example for just would be if everyone was treated the same no matter the gender or race for example salary everyone gets paid the same and its not men being paid more.
