Civil disobedience

Civil disobedience is resistance against the state. The word "civil" refers to the political nature of the lawbreaking, much as "civil society" is the part of the citizenry that is involved in politics and "civil wars" are armed hostilities between those who rebel against and those who remain loyal to a government.

Henry David Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience" urged citizens to become that minority that "is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight." Thoreau believed that it is unethical to pay taxes that one knows will finance acts of aggression. There is some debate about this; other libertarians would argue that a person is not morally responsible for what is done with money that is stolen from him. However, the difference is that libertarians have an opportunity to organize against such aggression, since they have plenty of notice beforehand about the tax laws. A person who is surprised by a robber may not have that opportunity.