“Imagining the State – Figurative Language & Philosophical Reasoning in Civil Dis-/Obedience Debate”
Final Essay
“Imagining the State – Figurative Language & Philosophical Reasoning
in Civil Dis-/Obedience Debate”
In addition to direct philosophical reasoning, authors addressing the ethics of civil dis-/obedience also employ supplementary imagery and figurative language to illustrate the moral implications of the individual citizen’s relationship to the state. Socrates, in Plato’s Crito, personifies the laws and the state of Athens as a divine-like being. Thoreau, in On Civil Disobedience, represents the United States through a variety of images, many of which (not all) fall under the general category of a “tool”. King, in Letter from Birmingham Jail, uses two similar metaphors – a geometric “square” and a musical “harmony” – to characterize the way a nation’s legal laws might relate to the moral law. From these different images, each author defends different positions on the ethics of citizenship and the morality of dis-/obedience to their respective nation’s laws.
In a 5-6 page essay, you will analyze these authors’ uses of figurative language and philosophical argument in the following ways:
1) Compare/contrast:
a. Choose TWO different images used by TWO of the three writers (Plato, Thoreau, King)
b. Describe each of your chosen images in detail
c. Discuss the broader connotations of each image
d. Define the philosophical implications regarding civil dis-/obedience derived from each image
2) Create:
a. Come up with your own figurative description of your nation/state and/or its laws.
b. Describe your image in detail
c. Discuss the broader connotations of your image
d. Define the philosophical implications regarding civil dis-/obedience derived from your image
3) Consider:
a. Specifically address what you believe to be the significance of democracy with respect to your chosen image and its relationship to the morality of civil dis-/obedience
i. Is a democratic form of government relevant to the ethics of civil dis-/obedience? Does it make any moral difference?
1. If so, why?
2. If not, why not?
