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Contemporary Thinkers and Non-violence
Thoreau, Ruskin, Tolstoy, Mahātma Gāndhī, Bertrand Russell and Martin Luther King are well known among contemporay hinkers who have paid attention towards Non-violence. They all except Bertrand Russell are socio-political thinkers.
Henary David Thoreau -- Henary David Thoreau an American anarchist has accepted that man is good by his nature, so in every situation he should do that which is decided by his soul. The person who causes banefaction should be co-operated and the man who causes harm should never be co-operated. Same is the case with institutions. He has introduced Civil-disobedience in his philosophy, which has influened M. K. Gandhi. According to Thoreau a democratic society should be considered as an ideal society. But unlike Gandhi he has favoured even the injurious-revolution against American Government.
John Ruskin — John Ruskin is the author of that famous book 'Unto the Last which has very much influenced Mahatma Gandhi. The name 'Unto the Last' has been translated as 'Antyodaya' in Hindi. It means 'development upto the last number or the betterment upto the last member'. But Mahatma Gandhi being impressed by this philosophy has followed it in the name of Sarvodaya. The following three principles have been discussed in ‘Unto the Last for advocating the case of Non-violence,
(i) The individual good lies in universal good.
( ii ) All have equal rights of earning livelihoods by their own professions. Therfore, all professions either of a pleader or of a barber have equal values.24
(iii) A laborious life, i.e., the life of a farmer or the life of a labourer, is the proper human life.
As Ruskin has asserted Soul is the ultimate reality. Man is good by his nature. Character deserves more value than intellect. The social orientation is better than the political reformation. The political and economic policies must be adopted with morality. The Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
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