Civil Disobedience and Justifiability of Violence Cover Image

Građanski neposluh i opravdanost nasilja
Civil Disobedience and Justifiability of Violence

Author(s): Ana Smokrović, Ana Smokrović
Subject(s): Civil Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Social Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Studies in violence and power
Published by: Hrvatsko Filozofsko Društvo
Keywords: civil disobedience; violence; prima facie rights; moral commitment; discrimination;

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the status of violence within civil disobedience. Namely, is it possible to argue for the civil disobedience as violent but justified act at the same time? If we move beyond the concept of violence as an exclusively physical act, the theory according to which civil disobedience is justified, but violence is not, would be hard to defend. I argue for the usage of force as a justified means in the cases when prima facie rights are overpowered by a greater, moral commitment. But with this stand one finds oneself in a potentially slippery terrain; namely, how to approach the civil disobedience participants who call upon the values such as freedom and equality but whose demands are based on the violation of rights of a particular group within the society?

  • Issue Year: 35/2015
  • Issue No: 03/139
  • Page Range: 559-568
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Croatian