Global Poverty, Injustice, and Resistance: When can you Resist Injustice?

Right so it’s the fourth video of the Global Poverty, Injustice, and Resistance series and I’m talking about when one can act on the right to resistance. The conditions that need to exist to act on resistance is a huge debate in political philosophy. Perhaps the most famous criticism of this comes from Jeremy Bentham who argued that such a right would lead to anarchy. If you feel oppressed or perceive oppression and therefore feel entitled to resist authority, then civilisation would pretty much crumble as people engage in a Hobbesian struggle. Bentham, however, is wrong for 2 reasons: the first is that he fails to distinguish between power and law and the second is that his argument is a big strawman so big you could stick Nicholas Cage in it. No one ever describes resistance in the sentimental terms that Bentham does. From Harrington to Locke to Jefferson to me (because I rate up there with them, right? I don’t see TJ’s YouTube channel) certain conditions have to be met to act on your right to resistance. In my book I argue that if one thinks the international community can intervene to protect innocent people from crimes against humanity or genocide then those exposed to such crimes also have the right to resist. This sets a high bar for resistance.