The Milgram Experiment - Examining the Role of Authority in the Social Contract Using Foucault as a Basis
Authority serves as the adhesive which binds all members of society to their roles within the social contract. Michel Foucault explains how authority in the modern disciplinary society could be better enforced by establishing proper hierarchies and creating confinements and labels for the undesirables in society (Foucault, D&P p. 224 & M&C p. 37-38, 1975 & 1988). In the Milgram experiment, the participant who carried out shocks until told otherwise demonstrated full adherence to the social contract. This is because the participant, based on the power dynamics behind the experiment, responded to the guidelines of authority which Foucault described, including the usage of labels (e.g, madness), panopticism and establishing hierarchy from discipline, …show more content…
A trend arose in that the participant would halt the experiment for longer durations of time to express his concerns for Wallace until eventually moving onward with the experiment again. Eventually, he continues shocking Wallace without asking further questions (33:50). This point at the experiment shows how the authority figure has assumed full control and Wallace had lost of all his power, shown symbolically through Wallace eventually saying nothing (28:40 and onward). The panopticism theory is proven effective due to how Wallace was reduced from his symbolic madness to eventually nothing, meaning there was no fight left and that someone subject to such treatment would eventually give in and follow the established social contract. Finally, when asked why he kept going, the participant merely said he was told to do so (35:00), showing the experimenter truly had full authority in the scenario based on the means of establishing discipline via panopticism described by
Authority serves as the adhesive which binds all members of society to their roles within the social contract. Michel Foucault explains how authority in the modern disciplinary society could be better enforced by establishing proper hierarchies and creating confinements and labels for the undesirables in society (Foucault, D&P p. 224 & M&C p. 37-38, 1975 & 1988). In the Milgram experiment, the participant who carried out shocks until told otherwise demonstrated full adherence to the social contract. This is because the participant, based on the power dynamics behind the experiment, responded to the guidelines of authority which Foucault described, including the usage of labels (e.g, madness), panopticism and establishing hierarchy from discipline, …show more content…
A trend arose in that the participant would halt the experiment for longer durations of time to express his concerns for Wallace until eventually moving onward with the experiment again. Eventually, he continues shocking Wallace without asking further questions (33:50). This point at the experiment shows how the authority figure has assumed full control and Wallace had lost of all his power, shown symbolically through Wallace eventually saying nothing (28:40 and onward). The panopticism theory is proven effective due to how Wallace was reduced from his symbolic madness to eventually nothing, meaning there was no fight left and that someone subject to such treatment would eventually give in and follow the established social contract. Finally, when asked why he kept going, the participant merely said he was told to do so (35:00), showing the experimenter truly had full authority in the scenario based on the means of establishing discipline via panopticism described by