Resist Not Evil

Clarence Darrow, perhaps best known as the defense attorney for John Scopes in the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, had a long career defending controversial cases and advocating for social justice. His experiences working within the justice system led him to question its underlying precepts. He held that punishment, with its associated violence and cruelty and no consideration of the circumstances of the so-called criminal, only serves to perpetuate human misery and does nothing to lessen crime. This work, Resist Not Evil, outlines in high oratory and irrefutable logic the flaws in the justice system. The title refers to the bible verse Matthew 5:39 where Jesus instructs his followers to not retaliate against those who wrong them, but to respond with love and forgiveness, even if it means more suffering. - Summary by M. Weller