Aquinas and King: A Discourse on Civil Disobedience
Date: February 25, 2022 – 9 am-4:30 pm
PACLE Approved 4.0 Substantive, 2.0 Ethics,
Ohio CLE, pending approval
WV CLE Approved Total Attendance Credits 7.80; Legal Ethics Credits 2.00:
Those familiar with the works of St. Thomas Aquinas are forever amazed at the prophetic relevance of the Angelic Doctor. St. Thomas has an answer for just about everything, including civil disobedience. During the tumult of the 1960s, Martin Luther King, Jr. espoused a philosophy of non-violent civil disobedience to challenge the inequalities of his day. King's philosophies are rooted in the Thomist theory that human law is unjust if it conflicts with a higher law and that resistance to unjust human law should be non-violent in design.
This intellectually stimulating seminar will explore the parallels between Thomas' time-tested teachings and King’s adherence to such teachings throughout the civil rights movement. Both King and Aquinas chart a path that blends faith and reason, human and divine law, as well as a form of non-violent disobedience that resists injustice
The course shall be a one-day event and includes a continental breakfast and light lunch and be held on Franciscan’s beautiful campus. A summary of course coverage includes:
• The Nature of Law According to St. Thomas Aquinas
• The Nature of Law According to Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Moral, Ethical and Religious Foundations of Common Law
• Defining Civil Disobedience
• Civil Disobedience and the Christian Conscience
• The Principle of Non-Recognition
• The Compatibility of Aquinas and King
Time Schedule
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Introduction
9:15 – 10:00 The Nature of Law According to St. Thomas
10:00 – 10:45 The Nature of Law According to King
10:45 – 11:30 Justice or Injustice in Law
11:30 – 12:00 The Method of Civil Disobedience: Non-Violence
12:00 – 12:30 Civil Disobedience and the Christian Philosophy
12:30 – 1:00 Lunch Break
1:00 – 2:00 Compatibility of Non-Violence & Christian Tradition
2:00 – 3:15 The Principle of Non-Recognition
3:15 – 4:15 The Compatibility of Aquinas and King
4:15 – 4:30 Summary and Evaluation
Cost & Registration
To register for the 6-hour day course go to
franciscan.edu/law-ethics
The price is $149, which includes light breakfast and lunch. To pay write a check to the Center for Criminal Justice, Law, and Ethics and send to:
Franciscan University
St. Joseph Center – Room 115
Steubenville, OH 43952-1792
Email: CCJLE@franciscan.edu
