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TOPIC:ISSUE 17 - "There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, to disobey and resist unjust laws."
WORDS:458 TIME:0:45:00 DATE:2005-9-9
Can the laws be divided into two types: just and unjust? And should we only obey just laws and disobey unjust laws as the speaker cites? It is hard to say. But in my views, the speaker is too extreme. I will cite my opinion following under three points.
To begin with, the laws cannot be divided into just and unjust. We cannot determine which law is just from its appearance. One apt example is about Marijuana. Marijuana is legislation in some countries of the world for its medical use, which reduces the patient's pain, such as the patients suffering cancer or other illnesses. But in the most places of the world, marijuana is not legislation, such as Alaska of the United States. So we can easily say, in former parts, the law of allowing Marijuana as a kind of medicine is just for patients who suffer cancers. But unjust for the people who opposite the law. In short, we cannot regard the law as simple just and unjust.
In addition, whether a law is just or unjust depends on the personal interests. For example, a law, which is control the toxic effluents containing in a factory emit in the nearby river in order to protect the citizen's health. To the citizen, it is a just law, because it is protect their rights. But to the factory, it might be unjust, because if the factory obeys the law, the cost of the factory will be increasing. Perhaps the factory will fire some employs, or perhaps the factory will raise its production costs. To the consume of the production of the factory, they do not want to see its high price. In other words, it is too one-sided to say a law is just or unjust only depends one person’s view.
Finally, sometimes, we disobey the unjust laws might conduce us to an opposite result. Back to the example mentioned in the second paragraph, if we disobey the law of forbidding Marijuana as a kind of medicine, there will be more and more cancer or the other illnesses patients suffering the pain, which caused by the illnesses. Another example is about abortion, in some countries, abortion is not allowed by the law, if we disobey the law, there will be many people punished by the law, because sometimes, they are not willing to conceit. So, only disobey the unjust law may be not a wise choice.
In sum, law is not telling a person what he should do. Law is the rule to protect the person who lives in the danger. So, we cannot do as the speaker’s conclusion. Obey the law is the rights of the people who live in the world, because of the peace of the world. |
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