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Revolution of Conscience: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Philosophy of Nonviolence

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Greg Moses is a professor of Philosophy at Marist college in New York.

In the Preface to this 1997 book, Moses writes, "In the following pages I seek to fathom the deep reservoir of philosophical possibility that King was exploring and indicate why I think American culture resists the systematic development of nonviolence as a logical approach to human relations. Psychologically, we are challenged to examine whole constellations of assumptions and attitudes that pass for normalcy."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"In this book I argue, however, that King's principles of nonviolence were distilled from long experience with struggle and remain valid resources for human liberation in multiple contexts. Furthermore, King's nonviolence is addressed to each and every ear that is concerned with justice as a desirable excellence. In other words, there are crucial challenges remaining for white America, too." (Pg. xi)
"To state my guiding thesis, I think that King establishes grounds for a new age of social and political philosophy, superseding both tired schools of thought that sought to legitimize cold war antagonisms, namely, Marxist-Leninism and what I dub 'cowboy capitalism.'" (Pg. 2)
"For King, fellowship, or empathy with one's opponent, must remain a living goal. For tactical reasons, this maxim is especially important in domestic conflicts." (Pg. 164)
"This book has attempted to outline a neglected dimension of King's logic of nonviolence by showing how the maxims of such logic are borne by a heritage of African American struggle." (Pg. 202)
"In those last years of his life, King argued to both sides of the gulf that they must not surrender the strength of love. To Black Power and liberal America alike, King argued they could not bracket their hearts from fellow citizens, nor could they cease to exercise the toughest rigors of their own minds." (Pg. 224)