Issue17 [Jet]小组第八次作业 第四篇I，欢迎拍砖

goldin2008UID: 2140085

TOPIC: ISSUE17 - "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: 474          TIME: 0:45:00          DATE: 2008-2-20

Should the laws be categorized as either just or unjust, as the author claims? To some extent, I agree with this statement. However, whether we have a responsibility to obey just laws, while disobeying and resist unjust laws, is not easy to draw a conclusion.

As a threshold matter, although the laws are actually categorized either just or unjust, it is not easy to distinguish the just from the unjust. Because individuals. with different views and backgrounds, think and deal with the same problem in different way. Meanwhile, in different time the laws are defined and enacted in different way. So, who can tell us which laws are just and which laws are unjust. For example, many years ago, it was reported that a boy kill his father, and then he was sentenced to death due to what he had done. But his neighbors gathered in the government and appealed to free him, at least not kill him. They said the boy was a good student and the reason why he killed his father was that his father maltreated him and his mother, and even made his grandma died of hungry. In face of this situation, how we address it? Maybe the boy has his own reason to do what he has done. However, law is law. No matter who disobeys it should be punished, although many people maybe think the law is not just.  

In addition, the standard, which categorizes the laws, is changing. For instance, in ancient time women had no right to express their opinions and had to obey what her father or husband said, and they had no human right. This was considered as just law for many years in china. However, with the development of the society, many social regulations have changed and now women have the same right as men. Many laws used to be just are unjust. So, this example indicates that the laws, which are just now, might be considered as unjust ones. Now, what should we do? Obey them or disobey them?

Admittedly, sometimes it is obvious to differ the just from the unjust. For example, stealing is unjust from ancient time to now. However, no one can tell all laws like this. If all persons categorized the laws in their own ways, the world would have been a hell. Because every individal would only see his own benefit, and would do anyting that benefit himself even if what he has done would do harm to others.

To sum up, it is not wise to disobey or resist the unjust laws. We should obey just laws while further improve it in order to make the so called unjust ones just through enacting new and improved laws. Disobeying and resisting unjust laws cannot be managed effectively, even if we can distinguish them, let alone we cannot.