Segregation is wrong because it substitutes an I-it relationship for the I-Thou relationship.

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Source: The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life (1960)

About this quote

In The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life (1960), King uses a focused ethical claim to examine justice, with attention to segregation, wrong, substitutes. The practical center is the relationship between wisdom and substitutes and relationship, giving readers a specific lens for judgment and action.

When to use it

  • A community organizer builds a meeting around segregation before participants choose one measurable action related to justice.
  • A teacher pairs the passage from The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life (1960) with a primary-source exercise about wisdom and public responsibility.
  • A team leader uses the tension between wrong and relationship to discuss conduct under pressure.