Resist not evil

Resist Not Evil was written by the prominent American lawyer and civil libertarian Clarence Darrow and originally published in 1902. The work serves as a philosophical treatise on the nature of crime, the futility of the penal system, and the societal structures that contribute to lawlessness. Coming from a man whose career was defined by his defense of the labor movement and his opposition to the death penalty, the book reflects his radical advocacy for empathy and institutional reform over retributive justice.

Darrow’s writing is deeply influenced by the philosophy of Leo Tolstoy, specifically the concept of non-resistance. In this text, Darrow argues that state-sanctioned violence through imprisonment often exacerbates the problems it intends to solve. The design and presentation of this work within the J. S. Ozer edition series prioritize accessibility and scholarly archival, aiming to preserve Darrow's historical critiques for a modern audience interested in the evolution of legal and social theory.