Ethics are what define whether a law is good or bad. Without moral definition, the very basis of a government would never exist. Boiled down, if the ethics of a people are askew to one side, the other side will naturally do whatever it needs achieve balance. It is this idea that both Martin Luther King, Jr. and the teachings of the Tao Te Ching have in common. Both agree that there is a certain order to the way people govern themselves and both agree that there are very clear distinctions between "good" and "evil." The differences lie within the actions. King, though adamantly opposed to using violence as a means of achieving a goal, is a man of movement. He believes in using political savvy and constructive tension to appeal to the moral standards of the oppressed. The Tao Te Ching would teach to "Express yourself completely, then keep quiet." Both are rooted to the same form of belief in people, but what comes after that makes each unique. .
King says law should be egalitarian and inspired by ethics. " there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."" His argument states clearly that laws are a black and white matter. There is no such thing as a neutral law; laws can only affect a country in either positive or negative ways. He states that not only is it our duty as a democratic nation to decide which laws are beneficial, but also that each citizen must hold true to a set of moral standards which in turn will guide social interactions to a balanced level. It should also be noted that these prescriptive responsibilities are not be optional. "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.