The Thomistic Institute It's My Right: Understanding Natural Rights and the Purpose of Politics| Father Dominic Legge, O.P.
Jul 14, 2023
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King Appeals To Natural Reason
- Martin Luther King frames civil disobedience as a philosophical appeal to natural reason, not only a religious plea.
- King argues that truths about justice are accessible to all people through reason, independent of specific religious revelation.
Examples: Nazi Germany And Hungary
- King compares Nazi Germany and communist Hungary to show laws can be legally enacted yet profoundly unjust.
- He insists he would have defied such laws to aid persecuted people despite their legality.
Positivism Isn't Enough For Justice
- Legal positivism views law as whatever duly constituted authorities enact, but King rejects this as sufficient for justice.
- King argues a law's procedural validity doesn't settle its moral status; deeper principles are needed.