Decisions like those made by Edward Snowden or members of the black bloc bring up the question of when we are justified in breaking the law. Despite continuing efforts made by males to claim that we are a nation of laws, not of men, we know that we began as a nation by breaking English law and so on. Most of us break the law in small ways every day.
The black bloc confronts and punches out Nazis. That’s illegal.
When is lawbreaking justified?
Thoreau wrote that “if a law requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.”
That seems to be clear but more limited in scope than what I need. I am seldom required to be an agent of injustice. I can think of a time when I was supposed to be an agent of injustice and I broke the law instead, but that's a short list. I have, however, sometimes tried to provide counter friction. It’s not much. It is something.
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