Abstract

Ronald Dworkin argues in Justice for Hedgehogs that citizens have a moral duty to obey the law of polities structured by special and reciprocal concern for all, although they have no such obligation in political communities that violate their members’ dignity. In this chapter, I use Dworkin’s own theory to develop an account of citizens’ associative obligations in the face of political threats to, and violations of, dignity. I argue that four related obligations of resistance require citizens to communicate opposition to a law, policy, institution, or system, rectify oppressive arrangements, assert their dignity; and express solidarity with the oppressed. In light of the pervasiveness of laws that disregard human dignity, I conclude that citizens’ main role is to resist rather than obey the law.