Morality In Civil Disobedience, By Henry David Thoreau

Morality is an idea that allows people to distinguish between right and wrong. Everyone, from babies to elders, has some sense of morality in one way or another because “morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality” (Gandhi 15). In other words, morality is basically the base of all things that people encounter in their lives. Moreover, the theme of morality can be found in Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience.” Thoreau’s work manages to inspire peaceful protest leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, who also incorporate the theme of morality into their works, like “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” and “The Story of My Life.” Because the idea of morality influences many people and their

Thoreau writes, “A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority” (Jacobus, 310). He argues that any people in their right minds, or any “rational” people, will act in order to fight for what is right and wrong. This creates an idea, based on morality, that inspires many others to take actions on what their moral standards are telling them to do. This idea is coined by Thoreau as civil disobedience, which is can be explained through normative definition of morality as many people all around the world embraces the idea of peaceful protests as their moral code in standing up against government for what is right and wrong. Civil disobedience, however, is morally wrong in a sense of descriptive definition of morality because not following the laws created by the government is wrong and punishable. Therefore, Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” shows both normative and descriptive definitions of morality and how they work together in Thoreau’s argument. Furthermore, although Thoreau’s

Gandhi writes in his introduction section of “The Story of My Life,” “The experiments I am about to relate are spiritual, or rather moral; for the essence of religion is morality” (Gandhi iii). He starts his autobiography by saying that morality is the most important aspect of his “experiments,” or his life experiences. Even though “The Story of My Life” is an autobiography, it conveys a theme of morality because Mahatma Gandhi lives his life in accordance with his moral codes. For example, he writes “But one thing took deep root in me – the conviction that morality is the basis of things and that truth is the substance of all morality” (Gandhi 15). Through this, Gandhi introduces the audience with the idea that morality is the base of everything, which supports the normative definition of morality by basically saying that “all rational people” has certain moral code that they follow. Moreover, he also uses the idea of civil disobedience, which is the idea based on morality, to help people to be free from the government ruling of England. He advocates for civil disobedience and encourages people that they must stand up for what they believe is moral in order to free themselves from the shackles of British government. Gandhi consistently speaks to the public about morally acceptable behaviors, based on civil