Civil disobedience is a form of protest with a special standing with regards to the law that sets it apart from political violence. Such principled law-breaking has been witnessed in recent years over climate change, economic strife, and the treatment of animals. Civil disobedience is examined here in the context of contemporary political activism, in the light of classic accounts by Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Gandhi to call for a broader attitude towards what civil disobedience involves. The question of violence is discussed, arguing that civil disobedience need only be aspirationally non-violent and that although some protests do not clearly constitute law-breaking they may render people liable to arrest. For example, while there may not be violence against persons, there may be property damage, as seen in raids upon animal laboratories. Such forms of militancy raise ethical and legal questions. Arguing for a less restrictive theory of civil disobedience, the book will be a valuable resource for anyone studying social movements and issues of political philosophy, social justice, and global ethics.

1 The Occupy Movement
2 A problematic concept
3 The argument from below
4 Reactionary disobedience over abortion
5 Disobedience in defense of cruelty
6 Thoreau, conscience, and the state
7 Tolstoy's politicization of love
8 Gandhi and satyagraha
9 King, pragmatism, and principle
10 Defending the environment
11 Open rescue and animal liberation
12 Covert animal rescue
13 The higher law
14 The question of violence
Bibliography
Notes
Index