Theories of Civil Disobedience and Non-Violent Resistance to Political Authority

Abstract

The ideas discussed in this chapter are frequently grouped together as theories of ‘civil disobedience’. The distinctive character of the type of actions that are promoted and justified by ideas of civil disobedience is captured in their designation as forms of ‘principled’ disobedience. This term draws attention to the fact that acts of disobedience are directed by a desire to resist political injustice and to produce a change in the exercise of political authority, not — as is the case with conventional law breaking — to gain some personal advantage (Harris, 1989). ‘Civil disobedience’ is related to, but must be distinguished from, the idea of ‘passive resistance’, which played a role in medieval political theory. ‘Passive resistance’ refers to a refusal to obey unjust commands; it generally precludes challenges to rulers, and does not necessarily involve a concerted attempt to change their conduct or modify the structures within which they operate.