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Similarities Between Martin Luther King Jr And Socrates

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Socrates and Martin Luther King Jr. were both great revolutionary speakers of their time. They both questioned the society around them and voiced their contradictory ideas. These historical figures were viewed as criminals in the eyes of their society. In the Crito, by Plato, Socrates is in a prison cell and awaiting his trial. Martin Luther King Jr wrote A Letter From Birmingham Jail, when he was impressed for holding a nonviolent campaign. While Socrates and King were in jail for the same action, which was expressing their beliefs, they came to opposite conclusions about civil disobedience and the relationship between an individual and their society. The Athenian government charged Socrates with impiety and corrupting the youth. He was sentenced …show more content…

was jailed for not having a permit for his nonviolent campaign after he had been explicitly told that if he applied for that permit, it would be denied. In Letters from the Birmingham Jail, King explains why he broke the law, he wrote, "I am in Birmingham because injustice is here" (King 1963, pg 120). He believed there are just and unjust laws, he quoted St. Augustine when stating, "An unjust law is no law at all" (King, pg 122). King describes a just law as one that does not segregate between people or degrade human personality. He then defines an unjust law as, "a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself" (King, pg 122). These laws are usually created with an unjust representation of the community. When unjust laws exist, individuals need to break that law to reveal the underlying injustice. King argues that an individual must follow the just laws and fight the unjust laws. In contrast to Socrates, King believes, "groups are more immoral than individuals" (King, pg 121). He knows that eventually an individual will have to stand up for themselves and their beliefs, when that time comes the entire society will not fall apart. King comes to the conclusion that, when laws are unjust it is the duty of all citizens to stand up against them, cause tension, and try to evoke

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