Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Modernity

Authors

  • Siddhartha Shome Stanford University

Keywords:

Martin Luther King, Jr., Modernity, Ghandhi, Wendell Berry

Abstract

Modernity and its attributes, such as scientific rationalism, technological development, economic growth, the spread of education, mechanization, industrialization and urbanization, define our society today. In recent years, critiques of modernity, such as those advanced by the environmental movement and the organic and local food movements, have brought questions about the ethics of modernity to the forefront of public attention. This paper seeks to interject Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s point of view into this discussion. First, King’s views on modernity are contrasted with those of Mahatma Gandhi. Then, some of the underlying values that shaped King’s views are discussed. Finally, an attempt is made to situate King’s views within the contemporary American public conversation about modernity by comparing his views with those of Wendell Berry, a prominent American voice in this debate. 

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References

Berry, Wendell. The Hidden Wound. Counterpoint, Berkeley, 2010. Kindle Edition.

Bristol, James. Notes from the Tour Diary of James Bristol. First produced 1959. Electronic.

Carson, Clayborne. Introduction to Civilization’s Greatest Need, a message delivered by King, Martin Luther, Jr. in 1949. Available at http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol6/1949Civilization'sGreatNeed.pdf. Electronic.

Fassler, Joe. “The Wendell Berry Sentence That Inspired Michael Pollan's Food Obsession” in The Atlantic, April 23, 2013. Available at http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/04/the-wendell-berry-sentence-that-inspired-michael-pollans-food-obsession/275209/. Electronic.

Gandhi, Mohandas K. Indian Home Rule or Hind Swaraj. Navajivan, Ahmedabad, 1938. First published 1909. Available at http://tinyurl.com/GandhiHindSwaraj. Electronic.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., Carson, Clayborne, ed., Grand Central Publishing, New York, 1998. Print.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. The Sources of Fundamentalism and Liberalism Considered Historically and Psychologically. Essay written for a class “Theology for Today,” 13 September - 23 November 1949. Available at https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/sources-fundamentalism-and-liberalism-considered-historically-and. Electronic.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Speech at the Great March on Detroit. Address delivered at Cobo Hall in Detroit on June 23, 1963. Available at http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_speech_at_the_great_march_on_detroit.1.html. Electronic.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution. Address delivered at the Morehouse College on June 2, 1959. Available at https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/remaining-awake-through-great-revolution-address-morehouse-college. Electronic.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. The Role of the Church in Facing the Nation's Chief Moral Dilemma. Address delivered at Nashville on 25 April 1957. Available at http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/Vol04Scans/184_1957_The%20Role%20of%20the%20Church.pdf. Electronic.

Pollan, Michael. “Introduction,” in Berry, Wendell, Bringing it to the Table, Counterpoint, Berkeley, 2009. Print.

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Published

2016-05-15

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Articles