Martin Luther King said: “Cowardice begs the question, “Is it safe?” Opportunity begs the question: “Is this political?” But consciousness asks the question: "Is this true?" And there comes a time when we must adopt a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but because conscience tells us that it is right. » Conscience is the main sense of the human being which helps to distinguish what is wrong from what is right. Thus, conscience must be the main driving force when people face unjust government laws. One of the philosophers who favored this idea was Henry David Thoreau. Specifically, he proposed a theory that personal conscience is the primary sense, which is responsible for the basic rudiments of social principles and argued that while respect for the law requires one to support and participate in the unjust affairs of the government, then people should make their own decisions. decisions based on morality. Therefore, a person should try to follow his conscience in order to act in accordance with his moral principles. During Thoreau's time, he mentioned two main unjust aspects, such as slavery and the Mexican War, which lead him to conclude that individual conscience is crucial and has major priority over existing laws. As proof of his idea, Thoreau explained that everyone should act according to their own conscience rather than according to the laws in order to avoid sharing responsibility for the unjust actions of the government. Furthermore, Thoreau asserted that individual conscience is a basis of morality and social principles, which helps to develop a better society. According to Thoreau, society should show civil disobedience for any unjust government. Thoreau came to the conclusion that the person should obey conscience rather than the law in order to uphold justice and morality.... middle of paper ..... .exclusion by understanding that each person responds to the injustice of the laws and that the main problem lies in the social omission and lack of personal interest in resisting the unjust policy of the government. Therefore, society must resort to non-violent resistance against injustice through civil disobedience, because society, through its actions and inaction, shares responsibility for any state action, including unjust actions. 2011. October 26, 2011. < http://dictionary.reference.com >. Lewis S. One Man Revolution. —Thoreau. A century of criticism. Ed. by W. Harding. Dallas, 1965. Thoreau, HD “Civil Disobedience.” A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for Academic Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston. Bedford/St. Martins, 2010.173-199.Dad Quotes. 2011. October 26, 2011. < http://www.quotesdaddy.com > .