Comments on: If It Be The Duty Of A Just Man And A Good Citizen To Obey The Laws, What Laws Should We Obey?

By: zenmaste

zenmaste — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:01:08 +0000

If man is to selectively obey the laws of society, then he must apply the measuring concept of Good and Evil to those laws. Is a law Evil? Then it should be disregarded and the authority which imposed that law should be resisted.
How, then, does a just man define Evil? The simple answer would be that Evil is that which is farthest from that which he defines as Good. His belief system, his Faith, his moral compass define good for him. In the broadest sense of the words, Good is selflessness and Evil is selfishness. Good is that which considers the greatest benefit to all with the least cost to all. In some cases, ther must be some kind of balance decided, in which the benefit and cost are most evenly distributed A law may, for example, provide great benefit to a vast number of people, at the heavy expense of a minority. This law, then, is Evil, because it exists due to the selfishness of the majority at the expense of the minority.
This is an excellent question, though it would take far more server space than Yahoo has available to discuss it to conclusion. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss!

By: Dandouna

Dandouna — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:12:44 +0000

When laws are backed up by what is just and right, we are really killing two birds with one stone by not only being a better person but also being a law abiding citizen. But then again, there are countries that have unjust laws that do not promote freedom and condone violence and genocide. These are the type of laws that we are forced to fight against and through fighting for what is right, we are a better person. So what I am trying to say is it depends on what the law is and whether it is beneficial to society and fair for everyone or whether it segregates its people and is potentially harmful to everyone.

By: ^^~[m]w~

^^~[m]w~ — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:04:47 +0000

watever you want
but most of all obey urself

By: Psyengin

Psyengin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:35:13 +0000

Do not obey laws that are wrong. Wrong laws are those laws that do wrong or lead to wrong or fail to negate or prevent those wrongs for which it is addressed Obey laws that do no harm and do not negate the good in life or a universal liberty for that would be a wrong. Do not wrong and do not crime. We obey laws for the universal good whose end is peace in common with a mixed peopled nation.
The Will is positive, the Judgment is negative.

By: Yowsie

Yowsie — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:26:52 +0000

Be kind on to all things

By: zen

zen — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:55:53 +0000

If you are applying the standard of “a just man” and “a good citizen,” then it seems very straightforward to me.
Good citizens obey all the laws in place, unless they are practicing civil disobedience in an effort to have them repealed. Civil disobedience is most effective when practiced in a group, the larger the better. Individual protesters are viewed by the legal system as “law-breakers” or “criminals”.
If good citizens disapprove of or disagree with any particular law, they then work through the legal or legislative channels in place to have it amended or repealed, faithfully obeying it in the mean time, like it or not.
Having said that, I must say that I am not 100% law-abiding at all times. ) But then, I never said I was an exemplary citizen, either )
We are talking about legalities here, not morality. In my opinion, legality, morality and justice do not always coincide!

By: Nancy S

Nancy S — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:39:20 +0000

There are laws on the books in the U.S. that need to be re-evaluated, eradicated, revised, however, with that said, the laws of the land are to protect individual rights and freedoms, protecting even the “bad” guys. Laws that protect a patient with a doctor, a client with an attorney, a citizen with a judge are in place to protect all. Each state has their own particular laws, again, some ridiculous, some even ludicrous that need to be “up dated” or even abolished. In the mean time, laws are in place and must be obeyed to maintain order throughout the country.

By: Logic316

Logic316 — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:39:57 +0000

Good people generally obey the law, but we do have good laws and bad laws. A hypothetical example would be if you and a group of other people were camping out somewhere and appoint a leader to make the rules. “Nobody shi+s inside the tent” would be an example of a good and reasonable law. “Everybody must shi+ one mile away at precisely 2:00PM every thursday” would be bad law, and needs to be ignored.

By: urmila

urmila — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:22:28 +0000

the laws of nature………….coz we make the laws so that we do not go against the laws of nature

By: Norm

Norm — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:03:10 +0000

At least this one, from the Hippocratic Oath sworn by doctors:
“Above all, do no harm.”