Question

If an act of civil disobedience—willfully breaking a specific law in order to bring about legal reform—is done out of self-interest alone and not out of a concern for others, it cannot be justified. But one is justified in performing an act of civil disobedience if one's conscience requires one to do so.

Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms to the principles stated above?

(A) Keisha's protest against what she perceived to be a brutal and repressive dictatorship in another country was an act of justified civil disobedience, because in organizing an illegal but peaceful demonstration calling for a return to democratic leadership in that country, she acted purely out of concern for the people of that country.

(B) Janice's protest against a law that forbade labor strikes was motivated solely by a desire to help local mine workers obtain fair wages. But her conscience did not require her to protest this law, so Janice did not perform an act of justified civil disobedience.

(C) In organizing an illegal protest against the practice in her country of having prison inmates work eighteen hours per day, Georgette performed an act of justified civil disobedience: she acted out of concern for her fellow inmates rather than out of concern for herself.

(D) Maria's deliberate violation of a law requiring prepublication government approval of all printed materials was an act of justified civil disobedience: though her interest as an owner of a publishing company would be served by repeal of the law, she violated the law because her conscience required doing so on behalf of all publishers.

(E) In organizing a parade of motorcyclists riding without helmets through the capital city, Louise's act was not one of justified civil disobedience: she was willfully challenging a specific law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets, but her conscience did not require her to organize the parade.

Answer 1

The judgment most closely conforming to the principles stated in the question is (D): Maria's deliberate violation of a law requiring prepublication government approval of all printed materials. Her actions, while in her self-interest, are also based on a conscientious obligation to serve the interests of all publishers, therefore justifying her civil disobedience.

Step-by-step explanation:

Civil disobedience is a form of protest where individuals deliberately violate laws that they consider to be unjust, usually to bring attention to a cause or inspire change. According to the question's principles, justified civil disobedience must be done out of concern for others, or when one's conscience requires disobedience despite any self-interest involved.

Given the options provided:

• Keisha's protest is justified as it is done out of concern for the people under a brutal regime.
• Janice's protest, while for a fair cause, is not out of conscientious necessity and therefore does not meet the criteria.
• Georgette's protest meets the requirements as it is out of concern for others and presumably also aligned with her conscience.
• Maria's deliberate violation of law is justified as it is guided by conscience acting on behalf of a larger group.
• Louise's protest does not fit the criteria as her conscience did not require her to act.

Based on these principles, option (D) Maria's deliberate violation of a law requiring prepublication government approval is the most aligned with the principles of civil disobedience as stated in the prompt. Her actions, although they may serve her self-interest, are justified by her conscientious decision to act on behalf of the interests of all publishers.