Unchecked Obedience

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Machiavelli declares that whatever you do, be it just or evil, if you know your actions will bring favorable results then you are not responsible for the manner, corrupt or blameless, in which they were obtained. This reasoning defines a timeless question: do the ends really justify the means? R. J. Herrnstein, author of “Measuring Evil”, believes they do, “A small, temporary loss of a few peoples comfort and privacy seems a bearable price for a large reduction in ignorance” (88). But is it not harsh to allow few to be terrorized for the benefit of many? When evaluating the Milgram experiment, summarized in Milgram’s article “The Perils of Obedience”, Diana Baumrind, writer of “Review of Stanley Milgram’s Experiments on Obedience”, states that no matter what the “concrete benefit to humanity” is, it cannot “justify the risk that real harm will be done to the subject” (184). Because of these two conflicting points of view it will not be easy to say whether or not the experimenters should be allowed to judge the universal importance of their experiments. Also should we accept findings that resulted from questionable treatment of fellow humans? Although it is hard to sacrifice the possibility of knowledge for the protection of a few, we should refuse to permit anyone to consciously put another in harms way.

Stanley Milgram designed an experiment to determine the extent of obedience in the average American. The subject was given false pretences about what the experiment was really designed to do and then asked to “shock” a fellow “subject”. The actual subject didn’t realize that he was not actually shocking the pretend “subject” but being tested on his willingness to harm another person with a prodding authority figure as...

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... rights, the harm to one person without their consent ruins any chance for justice and righteousness. If the gains are truly as big a necessity as many believe their cause to be, then someone will willingly sacrifice for the gain of many.

Unchecked obedience to authority can be dangerous because it relies too much on the good intentions of one person, but without obedience society would crumble. Obedience should not be mindless, but instead a conscious willing desire to contribute to the bettering of society. Figures of authority have many methods in which they think they can force obedience, but then it wouldn’t be true obedience. Obedience without a choice is slavery. When you disobey, do it not out of pure rebellion but out of obedience to something greater. It takes more to stand out and stand up than it does to accept.

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