Rawls's political philosophy

Author: Gong Qun / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Gandhi's ideas profoundly influenced Martin Luther King Jr., a Black leader of the American civil rights movement. King studied various popular contemporary ideologies, but what ultimately convinced him was Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance. In his view, the Christian doctrine of love, when practiced through Gandhi's method of nonviolent resistance, could become one of the most powerful weapons for Black people in their struggle for freedom. In King's eyes, his philosophy of nonviolence could be summarized by the following characteristics:
1. Nonviolent resistance is not a strategy for the timid; it is indeed a form of resistance.
2. It does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent but to win their friendship and understanding.
3. It resists the forces of evil rather than the individuals who commit evil.
4. The resistor willingly suffers without seeking revenge, enduring blows without retaliating. As Gandhi once said to his fellow countrymen, "Perhaps before we achieve freedom, blood will flow, and it will be our blood." King particularly emphasized this spirit of willing suffering. In his view, suffering is a highly creative and powerful social force. However, there is a significant difference in the understanding of suffering between those who advocate violence and those who oppose it. Those who advocate violence believe that it is a force because the pain inflicted on others is what we do in war and violent struggles—that is, they believe that one can achieve a goal by making others suffer. Those who oppose violence, however, believe that suffering becomes a great force because one willingly accepts violence inflicted upon oneself, so that one's own suffering becomes the core of nonviolent movements, and the suffering of participants can be used to transform society.
5. It seeks to avoid not only physical violence but also spiritual violence. Nonviolent resistance not only refuses to strike down the opponent but even refuses to hate the opponent.
6. Nonviolent resistance is based on the belief that the world is on the side of justice. In King's view, the nonviolent resistance movement of civil disobedience is a movement that is as pure in its purpose as it is in its means; it seeks to break unjust systems, not to defeat the people within them. King said, "Nonviolent resisters can briefly summarize what they intend to do as follows: We will take direct action against injustice, not waiting for other agencies to act. We will refuse to obey unjust laws or submit to unjust practices. We will do this peacefully, publicly, and joyfully—because our purpose is persuasion. We adopt nonviolent means because our goal is a harmonious community. We will try to persuade in our own words, but if our words fail, we will try to persuade with our actions. We will always be willing to dialogue and seek fair compromise, but we are prepared to endure necessary suffering, even at the risk of our lives, to prove the truth we know." P380-P381