Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He was the son of Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Growing up in a middle-class family, King experienced racial discrimination and segregation, which deeply influenced his later activism.

King entered Morehouse College in Atlanta at the age of 15 and later studied theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. He was influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and other proponents of nonviolent resistance during his time in seminary. In 1955, King completed his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University.

Dr. King's commitment to nonviolent resistance faced significant opposition, including violent attacks and arrests. He was arrested multiple times throughout his activism. Despite the challenges, King remained steadfast in his belief in nonviolence to effect social change.

 What he produced

Martin Luther King Jr was imprisoned in the Birmingham City Jail, Alabama, in April 1963. King was arrested for his involvement in nonviolent protests against racial segregation and injustice in the city.

In a beautifully crafted letter in response to clergyman from the south who criticized the protest, Dr King logically defends his actions while calling out the country to erase injustice. Citing philosophers and politicians from Socrates, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Augustine to Lincoln and Jefferson, the “letter” makes ethical, moral and legal case for his protests. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail"* became a significant document in the civil rights movement and is widely regarded as one of King's most important writings. It articulates his philosophy of nonviolent activism, addresses criticisms, and passionately advocates for racial equality and justice. The letter is considered a powerful testament to King's leadership and his commitment to the cause of civil rights. ‘

Dr King writes “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ He defends his logic quoting Saint Augustine "An unjust law is no law at all...One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all.'"

Saint Augustine was a prominent philosopher and theologian of the 4th and 5th centuries, wrote extensively on various topics, including the nature and purpose of laws. His views on laws can be found in his seminal work, "City of God," as well as in his letters and sermons. Augustine's perspective on laws was deeply influenced by his Christian faith and his belief in the divine order of the universe. Saint Augustine believed in a Divine Origin of Laws. According to Augustine, human laws that contradict divine laws are unjust and should not be obeyed. St. Augustine saw the primary purpose of laws as maintaining order and justice in society and most importantly made a distinction between Just and Unjust laws. Just laws, he argued, are those that reflect the principles of equity, fairness, and the common good. Unjust laws, on the other hand, are those that deviate from these principles or conflict with divine laws. Augustine maintained that individuals have a moral duty to resist and oppose unjust laws. Dr King argued similarly that individuals have a moral obligation to obey just laws, but they also have a moral duty to challenge and resist unjust laws.

 2023 why do we care?

Jurisprudence is the theoretical study and philosophy of law. It explores the nature, principles, and theories underlying legal systems. Jurisprudence seeks to understand the fundamental concepts of law, the justifications for legal norms, and the ways in which law interacts with society. There are two main schools within the philosophy of law, Natural Law and Legal Positivism. Natural law theory posits that there are universal and inherent moral principles that form the basis of law. It suggests that the legitimacy of a law is determined by its conformity to these higher moral principles. Natural law theorists argue that there is a moral obligation to obey just laws and resist unjust laws. Legal positivism is a school of thought that emphasizes the separation of law from morality. According to legal positivists, laws derive their authority solely from their enactment by a recognized political authority, rather than from any inherent moral or ethical principles.

Martin Luther King Jr. embraced the principle of nonviolent resistance as a means of challenging injustice and promoting social change. He believed that nonviolent direct action was not only morally superior but also strategically effective in creating social and political transformation. Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence, known as satyagraha, influenced King's understanding of the power of love, truth, and compassion in overcoming oppression. Dr King also embraced St Augustine’s understanding of just laws are divine in nature while having an ethical obligation to resist unjust laws which were not.

Dr King taught us that over the course of time truth will prevail over injustice. His true genius, perhaps, was the integrating the philosophy of a Hindu from Mahatma Ghandhi on how to win justice and enact social change with a 4th century Catholic scholar on the ethical role of laws. These men differed in so many ways, but the ideals of faith, justice and truth are their binding legacy.

*To read the full letter

https://letterfromjail.com/

And now you know...

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.