2. Law and Government : Texts
- “The Mandate of Heaven”
This selection from the Shû King—a classic Chinese text that was already ancient when Confucius and Lao Tzu were alive—lays the foundation for the Chinese doctrine of “The Mandate of Heaven.” According to this doctrine, divine forces will bless the reign of a just ruler and bring an end to the reign of an unjust ruler.
- Selection from Plato’s Crito
This selection comes from Plato’s Crito, one of the strongest statements in history about the responsibility to obey civil law. In jail and waiting for his execution, Socrates is visited by friends who urge him to escape. Socrates, however, insists that he owes the state his obedience, even though the state has sentenced him to death.
- The U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776)
This formative document of the United States of America sets out the philosophy of natural law and outlines the conditions of the social contract as it was understood by the Founding Fathers. This reading serves as a natural springboard into Federalist #10, in the book.
- Mussolini on Fascism
This selection from Mussolini’s “The Doctrine of Fascism” gives a clear theoretical rationale for the fascist state and puts words to some of the ideas illustrated in the still from Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will, in the book.
- Martin Luther King Jr.: “I Have a Dream”
Copyright restrictions prevent us from providing a link to this speech, but you should be able to find a legally posted online copy by using an Internet search engine such as google.com.
This pivotal civil rights speech from the author of the “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” is often called the best speech in American history. It outlines many concerns addressed in “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” and, at the same time, demonstrates a number of rhetorical techniques discussed throughout Reading the World.
