Kimberly Brownlee on Civil Disobedience

Brownlee on civil disobedience

PHIL 102, UBCChristina

Hendricks Spring 2017

Ferguson protest in Palo Alto: Stanford students shut it down, Flickr photo by Paul George, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0Except images licensed otherwise, this

presentation is licensed CC BY 4.0

Emphasizing for today:

• Brownlee’s view of what makes an act one of “civil disobedience”• Arguments for

and against use of violence in civil disobedience

Kiev (Ukraine) Feb. 18, 2014, licensed CC0 on Wikimedia Commons

KIMBERLY BROWNLEE:“FEATURES OF A PARADIGM CASE OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE” (2004)

“Paradigm case” of civil disobed.• Point to cases that most can agree count as

civil disobedience• Determine what features those have• Provide arguments for controversial aspects

“(1) conscientious and (2) communicative breaches of law for the purpose of (3) demonstrating protest against a law and/or (4) persuading lawmakers to change the law” (338).

Conscientiousness

Woman thinking icon made by Freepik, from www.flaticon.com

• “An obedience or loyalty to conscience”; “sincere and serious commitment to ... something” (340)

• Acknowledgement that you have reasons to engage in civil disobedienceo b/c of “self-respect &

moral consistency” (342)

CommunicationCommunicating in way audience can understand? Will they be receptive?

Megaphone image licensed CC0 on pixabay.com

Communication in civil disobedience similar to that in punishing crimes (345-346)

Modes of communication• Publicity: Should C.D.

always be done “in public, openly, and with fair notice to legal authorities”? (348)o Why/why not?

• Coercion: using threat (of force or other negative consequence) to get another to do something they wouldn’t otherwise doo Acceptable or not for

C.D.?

Modes of communicationViolence or non-violence• Why might non-violence be a good mode of

communication?• MLK Jr. on non-violence

o Can’t use immoral means for moral ends (“Letter”)

o Seek “friendship & understanding”; aim for reconciliation (see here)

Martin Luther King Jr., March on Washington, 1963; public domain on Wikimedia Commons

Modes of communicationBrownlee on violence in C.D.• Violence can be compatible with

conscientiousness & communication (349-350) o The wrong fought

against may be so bad as to warrant violence if needed to stop it

o Violence can effectively express disapproval

o Non-violence can sometimes cause more harm

Molotov cocktail icon licensed CC0 from thenounproject.com

Protest icon licensed CC0 from thenounproject.com

KIMBERLY BROWNLEE:“RACE, RIOTING AND CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE” (2015)

Optional reading:

Michael Brown, Ferguson

• 18 years old; shot while unarmed after robbing convenience store & struggle for control of police officer Darren Wilson’s gun• Wilson not charged; protests and riots in

many cities Michael Brown memorial and SWAT team, Flickr photos by Jamelle Bouie, licensed CC BY 2.0

Malcolm X on violence & non-violence

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in 1964, public domain on Wikimedia Commons

• Said African-Americans should use “any means necessary” to protect selves (see this video)

• B/c gov’t is unwilling or unable to protect their lives & property, so have to do it selves

• The racist society doesn’t listen to non-violence; has only treated African-Americans w/violence when they fight for their rights

• Being moderate in pursuit of justice is to be a “sinner”

Arguments about violence in this article

• Dangers of violent protesto Hard to show you are willing to engage in

dialogue and have “the desire for remedy, reparation, and lasting change.”

o Can lead to violent response by police and can “limit the options of judges”

• Possible value of violent protesto “The threat of violence, and the inevitable

increased media attention that it brings, often heightens both officials’ and the public’s awareness of an event.”

Violence as last resort“If a society has meaningful, ordinary channels for dissent and participation, including both legal protest and civil disobedience, then people have a moral responsibility to use those channels. But, if a society closes those channels ... then people are morally justified to resort to more radical measures in order to express their sincerely held convictions and to reclaim their rights to equal recognition and political participation.”-- Brownlee, “Race, Rioting & Civil Disobedience”