Essay about Philosophy 215

Submitted By VictoryTabernacle
Words: 526
Pages: 3
Open Document
Sparked by a 1950 lecture about the philosophy of the great Indian activist Mahatma (Mohandas) Gandhi, King began seriously studying Gandhi while a student at Crozer Theological Seminary. He was particularly intrigued by the concept of satyagraha. Satya means “truth,” which also equals love; agraha means “force.” Therefore, a direct translation means truth-force or love-force.
King found that Gandhi’s teachings collaborated with his own Christian beliefs (specifically the biblical philosophy to “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemies”), as well as his intolerance for racial injustice. He melded these ideas with the concept of nonviolent resistance, which he encountered during his first year at Morehouse while reading Henry David Thoreau’s Essay on Civil Disobedience. King became convinced that a philosophy based on love could succeed as a “powerful and effective social force on a large scale” and adopted the philosophy of nonviolent direct action.
Even when confronted with violence, practitioners figuratively and sometimes literally turn the other cheek and love, instead of hate, those who wrong them. The Montgomery Bus Boycott became King’s first opportunity to use nonviolent direct action.
As the civil rights movement progressed, King’s ideology matured. Although Gandhi’s principles provided the foundation for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), an active civil rights organization founded in 1942, Martin Luther King Jr., developed the link between Gandhi and the civil rights movement further.
In subsequent writings and speeches, King not only defined the relationship between Gandhi and nonviolent direct action, but he also explained why Christian leaders and all members of society had a moral obligation to rise above the limitations of man-made laws steeped in hatred.
Martin Luther King Jr. infused the civil rights movement with a greater moral and philosophical purpose. King insisted that God’s law and love truly did conquer all. Through his advocacy of nonviolent direct action, the process of challenging societal wrongs via protest marches, boycotts, and sit-ins, among other strategies, without the use of violence, King was able to bring an initially reluctant America closer to the dream of true equality for all races.
Dr. King’s Beloved Community was not devoid
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Philosophy 215

Christian Counseling Philosophy

training and experience, a detailed description of one’s philosophy of Christian counseling must first start by offering what is meant by philosophy. According to Robert Pazmino, philosophy can be literally defined as the love of wisdom (Pazmino, Foundational Issues in Christian Education, 2008, 86). From a Christian’s perspective, one must remember according to Scripture, wisdom is given by the Lord (Prov. 2:6). The authors add, philosophy seeks a coherent organization of all knowledge and addresses…

Words 1171 - Pages 5

Philosophy: Sociology and Different Moral Approaches Essay

What Is Your Philosophy? PHL/215 Philosophy November 19, 2012 C. Wayne Mayhill Student Jeremy D. Adams Philosophy is the general study of fundamental and social problems. Upon taking the What is Philosophy? Performance Aid this author discovered that he is a moral type of philosopher. There are many different types of philosophical outlooks; these include epistemology, moral, metaphysics, social, political, structuralism, deconstruction, eastern, postcolonial, feminism. Epistemology…

Words 820 - Pages 4

Essay on Business Ethics

Phil 215 – Essay (Question 1) The prevalence and influence of advertising over our lives has changed immensely throughout the years. One of the biggest concerns regarding advertising is the use of puffery, which is the “practise of making exaggerated, highly fanciful, or suggestive claims about a product of service” (June 18, Slide 9). Although legal, the ethicality of the usage of puffery and similar advertising techniques and whether or not they amount to manipulation and behaviour control is…

Words 1314 - Pages 6

Educational Philosophy Essay

Ashley Mason EDU-215 March 10, 2013 Mary Biel Educational Philosophy While coming up with my very own educational philosophy I asked myself a handful of questions. Why do you want to teach? The answer that appeared to head was because teaching is something chosen as a career choice because getting a joy out of seeing children learn new and different things about life. Knowing that you can be the cause of someone else success can warm the heart and make it smile. While answering…

Words 809 - Pages 4

The Spread Of Plato Analysis

mentions how Nietzsche helps us to be able to raise questions on traditional views on philosophy and look into not only Plato, but those theories of who he has inspired. Zucker states how Nietzsche is able to relate philosophy with politics. As politicians in today’s society are frequently known as hiding ones truth in order to appear differently to others, Zucker mentions how Nietzsche is able to compare Philosophy with politicians. This is because, similar to politicians, Plato had intentionally…

Words 1574 - Pages 7

Are Political Parties Necessary Or Detrimental

Political Theory 1010 Paper 2 Are political parties essential, or detrimental, to democratic decisionmaking? In answering this question, give careful consideration to the different ways political parties might assist or sabotage desirable forms of democratic rule, evaluating in each case their implications for the question. A political party is a group of people who share similar ideas regarding the way a country should be governed and sought to obtain the majority of the seats in the political…

Words 2291 - Pages 10

Florence Nightingale Research Paper

to a wealthy family, and unlike most girls of her generation, she achieved an excellent education. Florence Nightingale came into this world on May 12, 1820 (Bostridge 22), at the Villa Colombia (Dossey 3) in Florence, Italy (“Nightingale, Florence” 215), the city she was named after (Small 5). Out of two sisters, Florence was the younger one (Small 5), and she was born while her rich parents, William and Frances Nightingale, were exploring the continent on a lengthened honeymoon (Small 5). Florence’s…

Words 547 - Pages 3

Philip K. Dick's Time Out Of Joint

control over his beliefs and actions. Dialogue between Vic and Ragle towards the end of the novel exemplifies this moral authority: “Why did you go over to them?’ Vic said. ‘Because they are right,’ Ragle said. ‘And the isolationists are wrong” (Dick 215). The beliefs of Bill Black and the advocates of “One Happy Earth” no longer control Ragle; he has full control over his beliefs; he has the moral authority in a world where official authority is lost. This situation has a direct connection to the society…

Words 1368 - Pages 6

Socrates Mind Dying Quote

is immortal afterwards as well as being happier in other ways than people here,if what they say is true" "evidence"(223~226). Socrates was a Greek philosopher who was said to be the wisest man alive. Lots of people wanted to hear him talk about philosophy. The once known "wise men" of Athens, Greece in 399 B.C slandered him, accusing him of charging people to hear him philosophize,which was completely false. They were just envious and intimidated by Socrates. Socrates throughout all the hardships…

Words 720 - Pages 3

BUSI650 B05 DB1 Thread RCherry Essay

Discussion Board 1 Ryan Cherry BUSI 650 – Operations Management January 18, 2015 Key Concept Explanation The concept of a “job shop” as a transformation system, refers to a process which has a somewhat jumbled flow, high flexibility, and outputs which are processed differently (Lyons, Vidamour, Jain, & Sutherland, 2013). One of the most important aspects of the job shop which must be understood relates to the definition presented above. Managing a job shop is difficult because of the numerous…

Words 1850 - Pages 8