Essay on Obedience to Authority - 574 Words

Obedience to Authority Today our society raises us to believe that obedience is good and disobedience is bad. We are taught that we should all do what we’re told and that the people that are disobedient are almost always bad people. Society tells us this, but it is not true. Most people will even be obedient to the point of causing harm to others, because to be disobedient requires the courage to be alone against authority. In Stanley Milgram’s Perils of Obedience experiment, his studies showed that sixty percent of ordinary people would agree to obey an authority figure even to the point of severely hurting another human being. (Milgram 347). Disobedience is not always wrong. The truth is sometimes it is necessary to be†¦show more content†¦Obedience is a behavior deeply ingrained in us. It is often an impulse that overrides ethics and sympathy. There is much evidence of this, including the Holocaust. It was not just a small group of deranged individuals that committed these atrocities, it was people who had blind obedience to authority. The tendency to locate the source of behavior disorders in a particular person or group underestimates the power of situational forces. We are prone to obey because when we are obedient to an authority it makes us feel safe and protected. We can’t make mistakes because the authority decides for us. We can’t be alone, because the authority watches over us. So, no matter what our behavior is, it can be justified on the ground that we are only following orders, doing what we’re told from above. We can easily be brought to view ourselves as an instrument for carrying out another person’s wishes, and so we no longer feel responsible for our actions. Unfortunately, that can make us feel responsible to the authority, instead of the content of the orders the authority is giving. Morality is still there, but the focus is changed. We feel the need to perform well, out of obligation or duty, t o those who are in authority. This does not necessarily mean that all disobedience is good and all obedience is bad. That would ignore the relationship between obedience and disobedience. An act of obedience to one principle is usually and actShow MoreRelatedObedience to Authority1250 Words   |  5 PagesObedience to Authority No human social organization can function without some degree of obedience to authority, as the alternative would be anarchy leading to total chaos. Hence we find some sort of a hierarchy in both the most underdeveloped and the most civilized societies where certain individuals exercise authority over others. Almost everyone will agree that some degree of authority in certain individuals or groups (and their obedience by other groups) is desirable for the proper functioningRead MoreObedience to Authority1260 Words   |  6 PagesObedience to Authority No human social organization can function without some degree of obedience to authority, as the alternative would be anarchy leading to total chaos. Hence we find some sort of a hierarchy in both the most underdeveloped and the most civilized societies where certain individuals exercise authority over others. Almost everyone will agree that some degree of authority in certain individuals or groups (and their obedience by other groups) is desirable for the properRead MoreObedience to Authority Essays836 Words   |  4 Pageshuman being’s life; along with this, is the expectation of obedience to that authority. Through this obedience, many great things have been accomplished, as well as many instances of cruel and immoral acts. Defiance of the established authority, though, has also lead to great things, such as the creation and founding of the United States of America. In his writing, Obedience to Authority, Stanley Milgram examines the obedience to authority without question ing or taking responsibility and the problemsRead MoreEssay on Authority and Obedience2310 Words   |  10 PagesAuthority and Obedience Thesis: We consciously or unconsciously obey authority in all walks of life on a daily basis. Obedience is when there is legitimate power, there is pressure to comply. Compliance with that which is required by authority; subjection to rightful restraint or control. Authority being the legal or rightful power; a right to command or enforce obedience on another. This essay shall discuss, explore and evaluate the explanations as to why peopleRead MoreThe Problems Of Obedience And Authority1849 Words   |  8 PagesOctober 15, 2014 The Problems of Obedience to Authority People will do about anything to stay out of trouble when it comes to someone with authority that cannot be argued with. Stanley Milgram did an experiment on the topic of obedience to authority; he wanted to know how ordinary people could do horrible things if forced to by someone of authority. Obedience to authority is instinctual for human beings, there has and will always be someone with a higher authority than ourselves. How can normal,Read MoreObedience to Authority Essay1816 Words   |  8 PagesAuthority cannot exist without obedience. Society is built on this small, but important concept. Without authority and its required obedience, there would only be anarchy and chaos. But how much is too much, or too little? 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In order to obey authority, the obeying person has to acceptRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On Obedience And Authority Essay1358 Words   |  6 Pagesof â€Å"Obedience to Authority,† Milgram aptly points out that â€Å"some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living†(Milgram 1). This is a universal human truth. Authority is something that humanity, from the beginning of time, has consistently relied upon. Milgram argues that â€Å"obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose† and that it is the â€Å"dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority† (Milgram 1). I argue that obedience is asRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On Obedience And Authority Essay1149 Words   |  5 Pages Part I: Research paper topic and outline Obedience to Authority Abbygale Javier [IT 150G, 14111; On-line; Elizabeth Rasnick; September 29, 2016] I. Introduction A. Motivation of this research There are little facts about the role of obedience up until now. Psychologists have been debating on factors that constitute obedience within an individual. For example, certain theories suggest that people do horrible actions only if they are ordered to do so. Research has shown that most people obey allRead MorePhysiological Evaluation : Obedience And Authority Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesPhysiological Evaluation: Obedience to Authority In 1963, physiologist Stanley Milgram brought to light the idea of Obedience to Authority. He was stimulated by the trial and execution of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal who was put to death for the crimes he committed under Hitler’s authority (McLeod , Obedience to Authority, 2007). The objective of his research was centered on the question: â€Å"Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could