SocratesKingUnitPlanrevised.pdf

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Socrates & King

Andrew Gottlieb

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Introduction

Over the course of the next few weeks we will be reading two texts: Martin Luther

King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail and Crito by Plato*. As you may know, Plato’s writing

is all about Socrates, the man whose ideas are considered the foundation of philosophy in western civilization.

In both Crito and the Birmingham letter, Socrates and King are confronted with injustice.

In the case of Socrates, an opportunity to violate the law is offered and refused. Socrates rejects Crito’s offer to help him escape from prison. He maintains that one must not injure even those who have injured him. In his view, any violation of the law is destructive to the state. Socrates is unwilling to damage the Athenian establishment regardless of the injustice they have inflicted on him. He prioritizes the rule of law above and beyond all else, and, though unfairly indicted of crimes deemed punishable by death, is willing to die rather than compromise his convictions. Martin Luther King, on the other hand advocates civil disobedience as a way of combating rampant segregation in the south. One of our goals in exploring the trials and tribulations of these two men will be to determine whether there is a conflict in the principles they espouse.

We will begin by examining each text separately, after which we will explore the similarities and differences between them. There will be five writing assignments which we will

work on over a period of five weeks. The first two will focus on themes in King’s letter.

The third will be about Crito. The fourth will involve a comparison of the views of King and

Socrates. The fifth assignment will be a dialogue . We will imagine Socrates traveling through time and space to visit King just as Crito visited him. There in the Birmingham jail, we will

have the two men discuss King’s notion of unjust laws and his belief in civil disobedience. In the course of this discussion, we may also have them consider Socrates’ decision to accept the

death penalty rather than banishment as well as his reasons for rejecting Crito’s offer. After writing the dialogues, we will continue our studies by reflecting on questions related to the

issues of law civil disobedience, and democracy.

*

Two sets of page numbers are cited at the end of each quotation, the first from the handouts,

the second from the following texts:

1. Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have A Dream – Writings And Speeches That Changed The

World, edited by James Melvin Washington, Harper San Francisco, A Division of Harper Collin’s Publisher.

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Unit Plan for Socrates & King

Topic: Socrates and Martin Luther King – Law and Ethics

Texts: 1. Letter From A Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King 2. Crito – Plato Time Frame: The materials in the unit will be covered over a period of five weeks. Instructional Objectives:

1. To write a well clear, well organized, and insightful essays. 2. To be adept at writing arguments and counter arguments.

3. To explore other people’s ideas to gain new perspectives on our own ideas. Goals:

1. To learn about Socrates’ view of law.

2. To learn about Martin Luther King’s view of law.

3. To compare and contrast the behavior and ethical principles of Socrates and King. 4. To explore the notion of an unjust law.

5. To explore the issue of civil disobedience.

6. To consider how the insights we have gained can help us. Procedure:

Part 1 – Preparation for The Writing Assignments

1. Read King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail and Crito. 2. Underline passages that stand out in your mind.

3. Write down questions relating to the passages you selected and discuss them with your classmates.

Part 2 – Five Writing Assignments

1. Write a collaborative essay in class about the theme of unjust laws in King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail. Complete the essay at home.

2. Write a collaborative essay in class about the theme of civil disobedience in King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail. Complete the essay at home.

3. Write a collaborative essay in class about the theme of law and obedience inCrito. Complete the essay at home.

4. Write a collaborative essay in class comparing King’s Letter From A Birmingham and The Crito. Complete the essay at home.

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Letter From A Birmingham Jail

Assignment 1 - Unjust LawsAccording to King

Write an essay about King’s concept of unjust laws. Explain the difference between a just and

an unjust law. Give examples of each. Make references to Martin Luther King’s Letter From

A Birmingham jail to support your view.

1. “An unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself.

This is difference made legal. On the other hand, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal.”

(Handout, p. ) (I Have A Dream, p.89)

Is it unjust to make difference legal? Is it just to make sameness legal? Do you agree or disagree with these definitions of a just and an unjust laws. Make references to the Birmingham letter to support your view.

2. “An unjust law is no law at all.” (Handout, p. ) (I Have A Dream, p.89)

When is a law unjust? Do you agree or disagree with the idea that a law can be no law at all? Make references to the Birmingham letter to support your view.

3. “An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with moral law.”

What is moral law? How can we know what is moral and what is not? Who makes this

determination? Do you agree or disagree with the idea that there is such a thing as “moral law,” meaning an entity potentially independent of civil law. Make references to the Birmingham letter to support your view.

5. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Handout, p. )

(I Have A Dream, p.86)

How might injustice in one place be a threat to justice in another place? Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Explain by giving examples from King’s Birmingham letter.

6. “There are some instances when a law is just on its face and unjust in its application.”

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7. “…it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends… it is just as wrong to, or even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.”

Give examples of using moral means to preserve immoral ends. How might this notion relate to the saying: Hell is paved with good intentions? Do you think it’s possible to use moral means and have something other than good intentions?

Assignment 2 - Civil DisobedienceAccording to King

Write an essay about civil disobedience. Discuss whether you approve or disapprove of civil

disobedience. Make references to Martin Luther King’s Letter from A Birmingham Jail to

support your view.

1. “… freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the

oppressed.” (Handout, p. ) (I Have A Dream p.88)

a. By what means can oppressed people demand freedom from their oppressor?

b. By what means did King demand freedom from the oppressors of the people

he was trying to help?

c. Which method of making demands do you think is most effective?

d. Do you agree or disagree with King’s use of civil disobedience as a way of combating unjust laws? Make references to the Birmingham letter to support your view.

2. “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

3. “To a degree academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil

disobedience.” (Handout, p. ) (I Have A Dream, p.90)

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Crito

Assignment 3

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Law and Obedience According to Socrates

Write an essay about Socrates’ view of law and obedience. Do you agree or disagree with the reasoning behind his decision to reject Crito’s offer to help him escape from prison? Make

references to Crito to support your view.

1. “My way is and always has been to obey no one and nothing except the reasoning that seem

to me the best when I draw my conclusions.” (Handout, p. ) (Great Dialogues of Plato, p. 537)

a. What conclusions can we draw from this statement regarding Socrates’ view of law?

Would you infer from this statement that Socrates puts his reason above law or law above

reason? Is there anything in Crito which might contradict the inferences you might

make from this statement? Use other passages from the dialogue to support your view.

b. Based on this statement, what do you think Socrates would have to say about civil

disobedience?

2. In the following passage, Socrates imagines what the laws have to say. “… You must honor

and obey and conciliate your country when angry, more than a father, you must either persuade her, or do whatever she commands; you must bear in quiet anything she bids you bear, be it stripes or prison; or if she leads you to war, to be wounded or die, this you must do, and it is right; you must no gibe way or retreat or leave your post, but in war and in court and everywhere you must do whatever city and country commands, or else convince her where the right lies. Violence is not allowed against mother or father, much less against your country.” (Handout, p. ) (Great Dialogues of Plato, p. 543)

In the following passage, Socrates imagines what the laws would say if he accepted Crito’s offer to run away. “In trying to do this (run away), can you (Socrates) see that you are trying to destroy us, the laws and the whole state, as far as you can do it? Or do you think it possible that a city can exist and not be overturned, where sentence given has no force, but is made null by private persons and destroyed?” (Great Dialogues of Plato, p. 541)

a. What conclusions can we draw from these statements regarding Socrates’ view of law?

Does he agree with the views he is saying the law expresses? How might the view in these statements conflict with the view expressed in question number one? Did Socrates obey

nothing but reason or was he obeying something else? Use other passages from The Crito to

support your view.

b. Based on these statements, what do you think Socrates would have to say about civil

disobedience? Do you think he would be in favor of it or against it? Make references to

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3. “… we must do no wrong at all…not even when wronged, wrong in return.”

(Handout, p. ) (Great Dialogues of Plato, p. 541)

“Then we must not do wrong in return nor do evil to anyone in the world, however we may be treated by them.” (Handout, p. ) (Great Dialogues of Plato, p. 540-541)

“… we start from this rule – it is never right to do any injustice or to do injustice by doing evil in return, or when one is evilly treated, to defend oneself by doing evil in return…”

(Handout, p. ) (Great Dialogues of Plato, p. 541)

“… we must value most not living but living well.” (Handout, p. ) (Great Dialogues of Plato, p. 539)”

a. How do these statements relate to Socrates’ decision not to accept Crito’s offer to help

him escape prison and death?

b. Do you think Socrates was right or wrong to reject Crito’s offer to help him

escape from prison? Explain your answer.

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Comparing The Birmingham Letter and Crito

Assignment 4 - King versus Socrates

Write an essay comparing and contrasting King and Socrates’ view of law and obedience. Discuss the similarities and differences between them. If you see a conflict in their views,

explain which of these makes more sense to you. Make references to King’s Letter from A

Birmingham Jail and Crito to support your view.

1. What is the difference in historical context between the situations of King and Socrates?

Do you agree or disagree with the notion that the historical contexts should determine our assessment of people’s views?

2. Compare and contrast laws are involved in the situations of King and Socrates.

3. How do the positions of King and Socrates toward law differ?

4. How are the positions of King and Socrates reflections of their times?

5. Do you agree or disagree that there is a conflict between the principles of King and Socrates?

Make references to the Birmingham letter and to The Crito to support your view.

Assignment 5 - King and Socrates Meet

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Related Issues

1. Mahatma Gandhi

How did Gandhi and King use nonviolent resistance and self sacrifice to attain their ends?

2. Nelson Mandela

How is Mandela’s life testimony to the power of sacrifice and civil disobedience?

3. Jesus Christ

a. How does Jesus belief in turning the other cheek relate to civil disobedience?

b. What similarities are there between Jesus Gandhi, Mandela, and King?

4. Unjust Laws

What is an unjust law? Look up Supreme Court Decisions – Dred Scott v. Sandford,

Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education.

5. Law

a. What is the origin of law?

b. Why do we have laws?

c. To what extent do laws work?

d. Would most people behave ethically without laws?

6. Democracy

a. What is a democracy?

b. Where does the idea of democracy come from?

c. Did the Athenians at the time of Plato have a true democracy?

d. Is the United States government a true democracy?

e. Can the definition of democracy change over time?

f. If so, how has the definition of democracy changed over time?

7. Power

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Additional Matters

1. King and Viet Nam

What was King’s view of the war in Viet Nam? What effect did his disapproval of America’s involvement in this have on his campaign for civil rights?

2. King’s Assassination

Why do you think King was assassinated? Who may have behind his death?

3. Assassination – A Broader Perspective

a. What might the cause of the assassination of King and Mahatma Gandhi

have in common?

b. What might the cause of the assassinations of King and John F. Kennedy

have in common?

4. Reflecting on Our World