What Is Passive Opposition or Civil Disobedience?

While seeking solutions to the political and legal problems that Turkey is in, it only deals with the political and economic aspects of the state and civil society issues, and the cultural dimension of this relationship is generally neglected. This point is important because, in this context, political culture, as a part of general culture, is the sum of beliefs, feelings and values ​​related to the political system and plays a role in directing and revealing the individual or organizational political behaviors of the person.

Within the framework of this determination, the problem that I will open for discussion is the following: If beliefs, feelings and values ​​have a functional place in guiding political behavior, 'What is the place and contribution of these in the correct behavior I will display when I think that an action or attitude is wrong?' This is the question, passive opposition (civic disobedience) conceptualization.

Why civil disobedience?

The passive opposition, which we can trace back to Sedrach, Mesach and Abed-Nego in Ancient Greece, who refused to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because they were subordinate to a higher law during the reign of Socrates and even the Hittites, basically emerged from the conscience of the individual while determining the way of his relationship with his own self. It will be very interesting to see how the (subjective) rules it sets turn into (objective) rules that affect other people over time.

Rather than laying down behavioral principles by specifically saying what should be done; I care about telling what should not be done and pointing out the limits that should not be exceeded; because these limitations, based on conscientious and spiritual grounds, are important in terms of showing the invalidity of the logic of lesser evil. The principle of not saying "yes" to the wrong thing by saying "choosing the wrong and the best of the bad means deciding in favor of the evil" will eliminate many abuses in both politics and religion.

A course of action against violations of law: Civil disobedience

In the face of recent political developments; human rights in particular; Civil disobedience is becoming increasingly important in modern democracies in the face of violations of law in general.

Civil disobedience; Having the motivation of 'accepting the system we live in as legitimate, but presenting peacefully, lovingly and conscientiously without resorting to violence at the point where the legal possibilities against unfair and unjust practices are exhausted, that is, political and moral'; but against the laws of the system; It can be defined as an act of public conscience, carried out in an open manner, within a well-thought-out plan whose goals are specific and calculable.

Civil disobedience is a militant attitude and a form of resistance against unlawfulness that is assumed to be legal; but in the final analysis, there is no demand for a system change since it aims to eliminate unlawfulness and injustice. An illegal political action is brought forward; but this is different from revolution and rebellion because it sees the problem not as a system change but as a conflict of duties. His behavior during conflict should be considered to be equated with social behavior, even human behavior as a whole. In such an attitude, beliefs and emotions, which form the inner world of the person, play an important role. Saying this raises the question of the existence of a 'common sense of justice' or a 'Public Conscience'. There is a possibility that such concepts, which do not derive their source from a contract or constitution, may be interpreted differently by everyone. However, the subject of discussion of this text, 'It is possible to talk about a public conscience, a public understanding of justice that takes its source from history, religion, traditions, past struggles, in other words, from the common memory.'

For an act of civil disobedience, it is necessary to be just and to prioritize basic human rights, to be politically committed to the constitutional regime; Since there is no reference other than political principles in such actions, which envisage establishing a cooperation system between people in order to eliminate the victimization of the people who have been wronged, it is based only on the principles of justice and common sense. Thus, he turns to the moral basis of life and offers everyone to participate. For these reasons, civil disobedience sees itself as a protector and defender of the basic principles of law, part of the ideology (basic human rights and freedoms) of the civilization in which it occurs.

conscientious objection

In this framework, the question of "How will individual disobedience be evaluated, which entails withdrawing from the public sphere in order not to be a party to a possible wrong and/or evil as a result of individual change and transformation?" should be answered. According to Hannah Arent, such acts cannot be considered civil disobedience, as 'responsibility to resist is limited to not being complicit in evil', for an act to be of this nature it must be a public call, a public initiative, to be included in a group.

Individual attitudes based on conscientious objection, such as not participating in war or refusing to serve in the military, may be more interesting to examine than repression. will be considered a strange person.

Therefore, individual reactions called 'Indirect Disobedience' are very unlikely to lead to significant changes. So, according to Arent, at this point a distinction must be made between conscientious objection and civil disobedience. Because, in civil disobedience, 'it is organized minorities that have come together with a common thought rather than a common interest and a common decision to oppose the government's policy - despite the data showing that the majority support will be on the side of the government.'

Conclusion

As Münci Kapani said, "Although it is used quite effectively from time to time in the protection and acquisition of rights and freedoms, civil disobedience is not easy to implement; On the contrary, it is an extremely difficult road. Because peaceful resistance in the face of oppression and violence requires much more heart, patience, self-sacrifice and moral strength than it does in violent opposition to violence.'

For this reason, non-violence, a talent and attitude characteristic of charismatic people, indicates the highest level of courage. Civil disobedience, which is a 'creed' and 'passion' for which a person sacrifices everything, is a way of life that encompasses all areas of life. In this lifestyle, the person who acts of civil disobedience aims to transform himself completely, his own life, his opponent's and society's life by using love. For this reason, civil disobedience should not be confused with the non-violent attitudes and behaviors of people with weak personalities.