Under what circumstances, if any, do you view civil disobedience &/or revolutionairy direct action as justified?
- Ishkah
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Re: Under what circumstances, if any, do you view civil disobedience &/or revolutionairy direct action as justified?
- WarrenZ
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Re: Under what circumstances, if any, do you view civil disobedience &/or revolutionairy direct action as justified?
From how I see it, the problem with violence is that one cannot be entirely sure that the end one is pursuing is the complete correct one. If one believes that one is completely correct and righteous, then any action can be justified in working towards the goal, including the sacrifice of millions of lives. (See the Gulags, or The Great Leap Forward in China). Whilst Civil Disobedience is generally good, violence should mostly not be tolerated. (Although of course there would inevitably be some clash between the government and the protestors, but that would be different from intentional violence.)Ishkah wrote: ↑February 26th, 2021, 3:03 pmWhen judged against an ideal society, it's the lesser evil action yes. But, when judged against doing nothing it's a good action. And both would be a charachter virtue for the actor.Pattern-chaser wrote: ↑February 26th, 2021, 1:17 pmViolence is never a good thing, and often just leads to ... more and worse violence. The latter is surely not the aim of protest, violent or otherwise?
- Diascarus
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Re: Under what circumstances, if any, do you view civil disobedience &/or revolutionairy direct action as justified?
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
It is the right of the people to decide. If a tyrannical dictator were to rise up and the government fail its people, it is up the the people to abolish such governments for their security.
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