Monday, February 2, 2015

Books That Inspired Dr. King


I absolutely love this photo of Dr. King....

I have looked at this picture as closely as I possibly can, because I am curious to know "What does a King read?

So, I did a little research and I discovered several sites that listed books that inspired Dr. King. Here are some of the titles:  

Civil Disobedience by David Thoreau,  
The Bible, 
Republic by Plato (Books I, II, V, VI, VIII, and X), 
Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (Books I, II, III, IV and V),
Politics by Aristotle (Books I and III),
The City of God by Augustine
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli,  
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes,  
Treatises on Civil Government by John Locke,  
The Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau,  
Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant 
 Principles of Morals and Legislation by Jeremy Bentha,
 Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill

What an impressive book list that's definitely fit for A King!

The list contains mostly history and philosophy books. I must admit that I have only read two of the books on the list: Civil Disobedience and The Bible. However, when I asked my students about this list, many had read or were familiar with many of these books. (I teach some well-read students.)

Dr. King studied sociology, ethics, and philosophy, and it appears that he applied what he learned to lead one of the greatest movements of all times.

I am a firm believer that we must be thoughtful about everything that we do, because I believe that we are always, sometimes unbeknownst to us, being prepared for next.

Happy Monday, and Read, Read, Read, and Read!

4 comments:

Tamesha Derico said...

I love that question - "What does a King read?" So powerful. People don't often acknowledge all the schooling, learning, and thoughtfulness that went into King's personal philosophy.

Jacqueline said...

Yea, I figured that A King might be reading something pretty heavy, but Dr. King took heaviness to a new level. The more that I study this man, the more that I love him. Thanks for stopping by Tamesha.

Lady In Read said...

thanks for visiting and for wishing me good luck:)being thoughtful about what we do - that is something i try to follow to and tell my kids the same..will visit you again.. good luck for this challenge

Jacqueline said...

Good luck this month!

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