A Critique of Martin Luther Ki

of human morality. As Alf Ross writes, "Like a harlot, natural law is at the disposal of everyone. The ideology does not exist that cannot be defended by an appeal to the law of nature." He basically says that determining an unjust law by virtue of an arbitrary moral theory will eventually lead to anarchy. Following King's theory, any "moral" person could claim exemption from the law based on their religion. It is interesting to note that this argument is precisely what Justice Frankfurter protested in his dissent (West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette), "One may have the right to practice one's religion and at the same time owe the duty of formal obedience to laws that run counter to one's beliefs."
             King realizes the absurdity of claiming that a law doesn't exist simply because it is unjust. He therefore immediately abandons the Augustinian version of natural law and acknowledges the existence of legal rules deemed to be morally wrong. He writes, "clear thinking would force us to acknowledge [them] as laws even i
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A Critique of Martin Luther Ki. (2000, January 01). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 18:47, September 17, 2026, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/76167.html