Today’s presentation will be a Hybrid meeting with online and in-person options.
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“Humanist Arguments for Civil Disobedience”
Presented by Dan McLean Jr.
I’ve often heard the argument that whenever the law wrongly violates my rights, I have a right to civil disobedience. The basics of this make a lot of sense to me, but that’s tremendously nuanced turf.
Perhaps we need to break it down into these, and probably several more, groupings:
• An action that has no – or negligible – effect on the ability of others to conduct their lives or exercise their own rights.
• Refusal to pay taxes because it would support a war that I don’t endorse.
• Draft dodging.
• Peaceful protests that DO affect the ability of others to conduct their lives or exercise their own rights.
• Blockades or other actions that restrict access, movement or function.
• When damage to a person or property is involved.
• Riots, revolutions.
Some questions to consider, assuming that we’re talking about illegal acts:
What acts of civil disobedience would you be willing to commit?
What acts would you support and/or encourage?
What about acts that impede the rights of others, compromising their right, movement or function?
Should someone else be able to take legal action against you is your civil disobedience infringes on their rights?