Is Disobedience, A Virtue And Obedience A Vice?

Is Disobedience a Virtue and Obedience a Vice?

Eric Fromm is the author of Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem. Fromm is a writer from the twentieth century who was a philosopher, historian, sociologist, and etc. Fromm is also an author of over thirty books. In the article Disobedience is a Psychological and Moral Problem Fromm argues that in the beginning of history the world began on the start of disobedience. Without disobedience their would be no freedom or humanity. This article is about how disobedience is starting to disappear because humanity is starting to listen to authority and not to their conscious. Humanity should have the choice to listen to their own conscious and not authorities. In history the world began with …show more content…
In history the world began with Adam and Eve who both disobeyed god and ended up becoming humans. In Prometheus if he did not steal the fire from the gods there would not be mankind or disobedience. Although Fromm’s claim that obedience will be the cause of the end of the world are explained with clear examples, his idea that disobedience is not a virtue can detract from his message. In the article Fromm’s gives an example that “If mankind commits suicide it will be because people will obey those who command them to push the deadly buttons; because they will obey the archaic passions of fear, hate, and greed; because they will obey obsolete clichés of State sovereignty and national honor.” This statement shows that being obedient to authority can lead to bad things happening to people and possibly end the world. Fromm also gives a examples of slaves and rebels. Fromm’s message of disobedience not being a virtue can distract the meaning from his message because Fromm is saying that disobedience started civilization and is a virtue to humanity, but he’s stating that it’s not a virtue when technically it is, because …show more content…
Fromm can’t claim that disobedience is an important asset, then claim that it’s not important. Fromm including different opinions such as opinions from priests, feudal lords, and kings about disobedience and obedience being sins, virtues, and vices can distract the reader from what Fromm is trying to say. Fromm gives a lot of examples on why obedience will be the cause of the end of the world. But, Fromm does not give a lot of historical examples on why disobedience is so important to civilization. Fromm also does not state how disobedience will evolve modern day history, and how it will help civilization. Fromm is arguing that disobedience is a virtue in many aspects of life but by including that disobedience is seen as a vice and a sin to others can make readers not know which idea Fromm is actually agreeing with. Fromm is saying that disobedience is what civilization needs, but when Fromm states that some people believe that obedience is a virtue it takes away from Fromm’s belief. In the article Fromm argues that Soviet leaders talk about war, and in America they talk about freedom. He says that freedom and disobedience are alike, because the world wouldn’t be free if the act of disobedience did not happen. So, obedience was never needed in the world until people saw disobedience as a threat to society. When Fromm argues about consciousness and it takes the article into a