This seems like a really stupid moral to adopt. The guys in charge are bad, and if you can get away with defying them without being punished, the moral teachings of anyone suggesting you ought not to do so – because their rule is instituted by God, Redde Caesari …, or whatever – are suspect at best.
Personally, I find the story of Jesus most useful as a cautionary tale: he famously gets tortured to death by the government.
I think the important point here is that you can’t be certain that you are right. Setting a norm where anyone who thinks they are right is justified in using whatever means necessary to overturn society doesn’t tend to lead to good outcomes.
The great thing about civil disobedience is it sends a strond coordinating message to other people that this is something that might be worth resisting without also damaging your cause by making you look violent and bad.
This seems like a really stupid moral to adopt. The guys in charge are bad, and if you can get away with defying them without being punished, the moral teachings of anyone suggesting you ought not to do so – because their rule is instituted by God, Redde Caesari …, or whatever – are suspect at best.
Personally, I find the story of Jesus most useful as a cautionary tale: he famously gets tortured to death by the government.
I think the important point here is that you can’t be certain that you are right. Setting a norm where anyone who thinks they are right is justified in using whatever means necessary to overturn society doesn’t tend to lead to good outcomes.
The great thing about civil disobedience is it sends a strond coordinating message to other people that this is something that might be worth resisting without also damaging your cause by making you look violent and bad.