Analysis Of Martin Luther King And Thomas Aquinas 'Letter From A Birmingham Jail'

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Martin Luther King discusses many philosophical principles in the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” that relates with Aquinas discussion about law. Most of Martin Luther King’s philosophical ideas have to deal with natural law. According to Aquinas natural law is promulgated by reason and also rational participation in the eternal law. But in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” we can see how human law is connected to natural law always. The two philosophical principles I find most interesting that Martin Luther King is working in his letter and also relates with Aquinas discussions in the Summa Theologiae are the difference between unjust and just acts; and what breaking the law implies. These two philosophical topics appear in both of the readings very often because of its importance to human behavior. I decided to choose these principles because from my perspective, I think they are the ones that appear the most and give meaning to the whole message Martin Luther King and Thomas Aquinas are trying to let the world know. More importantly, the purpose of Martin …show more content…

In his argument, he says that any law that restores and lighten are just laws, and anything that corrupts or are treats people without respect are immoral. After giving his argument he concludes that segregation is something morally wrong. He is giving all this argument because he is trying to tell authority that he is a good normal citizen. He wants and will follow the just laws, and he also thinks laws are something essential for a world to function. Although he still has already proven his point, he starts to get into the philosophical principle of breaking the laws. This is another complex point both writings point out. Martin Luther King wants to make sure his audience actually understands what he is trying to communicate about laws and human behavior towards