Obedience to Authority vs. Personal Conscience

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Stanley Milgram, conducted a study focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. According to the study Migram suggested “that obedience we naturally show authority figures can transform us into agents of terror” (Migram, 1974/1994, p. 214). Milgram experiment was developed for the justification of the act of genocide in World War II. Many of the accomplices in the Holocaust said they were following in order given by Adolf Eichmann. Obedience to superiors is built onto the history of civilized society, and no culture worthy of the name has existed without stressing the respect that is due to legitimate authority of the duties of those in command. Milgram study provides information that supports that under a command of authority an adult is willing to go to any length to carry out the command.

The experiment was a about memory and learning. The participant consists of “teachers” who is told the experiment is intended to explore the effects of punishment for incorrect response on learning behavior. Their role is to read a list of two word pairs and the other participant to read them back. They are told they had 30 switches that are labeled with voltage ranging from 15 up to 450 volts with a rating of “slight shock” to “danger”. The other participant the “learner” who was an actor is strapped to a chair during the experiment and any time the response to word the pair was incorrect a wave of electro shook in increments of 15 volt would be administer. The teacher and the learner are in separate room during experiment period. Although, the teacher could hear the learner responses to each time the different range of voltage, the actor pretend discomfort with each voltage increase of electrical...

... middle of paper ...

...he experiment was explained to the participant “teachers”, it was clear to them

what was expect of them and at this time they could have refused to obey the

experimenter. At the begin the experiment both participant was given the same voltage

of electroshock and they knew the discomfort it cause at 45 voltage. It is common

knowledge that human beings are responsible for making decisions. In past

years the use of electroshock experiment did not cure any of the illness it caused more

damage to the individual participant and it decreased their quality of life. danger to

another human is a moral decision. In the case of the Stanley Milgram study the

“teachers” chose to continue the experiment was of their free will. In the case of the

genocide in World War II, the people lives were under directive of authority and

disobedience had many consequences.

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