The actual results of Milgram’s study are indeed astonishing. A troubling amount of participants threw every semblance of human morality to the wayside as they shocked an innocent citizen far past confident levels of safety. Those who did were deemed deplorable exceptions of humanity by people who could never imagine themselves doing such a thing, even though the scientific community realized that Milgram’s “teachers” were no outliers. However, Milgram’s motivation for the study lead him to conclusions that grappled with cultural problems larger than the scope of his own “Behavioral Study of Obedience” could attempt to explain. Male adults from New Haven ignored their own moral values in order to provide results to an experiment that they
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On “The Bad Show,” an episode from Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich’s popular Radiolab, respected psychology professor Alexander Haslam provides his own take on Nazi motives in the context of the Milgram experiment. Haslam references a speech from Heinrich Himmler to other leaders of the Schutzstaffel, in which Himmler gave German officers tasked with killing thousands of innocent people the moral tools required to carry out unthinkable crimes against humanity (Krulwich, Abumrad, Haslam). Himmler realized his compatriots were faithfully committed to the success of their country, so he presented the blatantly immoral acts as necessary work for Germany’s dominance. The Schutzstaffel officers were able to operate in ways they would have considered unjust due to the manner in which these acts were associated with stronger moral alignments. Their actions do not display a supposed “universal evil” within all of mankind because to them, they were not evil. Obeying commands that coincide with one’s own moral compass feels natural, not like the extreme cognitive dissonance experienced by the participants in Milgram’s …show more content…
Positions of power have forever been sought after due to the moral power it gives to an individual. In more recent times, freedom has emerged as a defining characteristic of western values and morals, acting as the ultimate end goal for those raised in capitalist society. The consequences of humanity’s struggle to hold onto self-sovereignty in the face of pressing authority define the history of humankind. With the outcome of the 2016 presidential election dumbfounding political analysts, news reporters, statisticians, and everyday citizens alike, Donald Trump’s victory will be studied for years to come. Hillary Clinton was the obvious choice. She was qualified, experienced, and supported by more legitimate politicians than Trump was. She was who voters were told to vote for, both implicitly and explicitly. Yet, when it was time to actually cast the ballots, the natural aversion to control prevailed. Controversial director Michael Moore wrote his “5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win” as a preemptive answer to what he predicted would happen in November 2016. Moore acknowledged the fact that Clinton was simply the only qualified presidential candidate between Trump and her. Yet, he also realized that this would be her political downfall. Doing what “should” be done and voting for Clinton gives people no feeling of power, no sense of
On “The Bad Show,” an episode from Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich’s popular Radiolab, respected psychology professor Alexander Haslam provides his own take on Nazi motives in the context of the Milgram experiment. Haslam references a speech from Heinrich Himmler to other leaders of the Schutzstaffel, in which Himmler gave German officers tasked with killing thousands of innocent people the moral tools required to carry out unthinkable crimes against humanity (Krulwich, Abumrad, Haslam). Himmler realized his compatriots were faithfully committed to the success of their country, so he presented the blatantly immoral acts as necessary work for Germany’s dominance. The Schutzstaffel officers were able to operate in ways they would have considered unjust due to the manner in which these acts were associated with stronger moral alignments. Their actions do not display a supposed “universal evil” within all of mankind because to them, they were not evil. Obeying commands that coincide with one’s own moral compass feels natural, not like the extreme cognitive dissonance experienced by the participants in Milgram’s …show more content…
Positions of power have forever been sought after due to the moral power it gives to an individual. In more recent times, freedom has emerged as a defining characteristic of western values and morals, acting as the ultimate end goal for those raised in capitalist society. The consequences of humanity’s struggle to hold onto self-sovereignty in the face of pressing authority define the history of humankind. With the outcome of the 2016 presidential election dumbfounding political analysts, news reporters, statisticians, and everyday citizens alike, Donald Trump’s victory will be studied for years to come. Hillary Clinton was the obvious choice. She was qualified, experienced, and supported by more legitimate politicians than Trump was. She was who voters were told to vote for, both implicitly and explicitly. Yet, when it was time to actually cast the ballots, the natural aversion to control prevailed. Controversial director Michael Moore wrote his “5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win” as a preemptive answer to what he predicted would happen in November 2016. Moore acknowledged the fact that Clinton was simply the only qualified presidential candidate between Trump and her. Yet, he also realized that this would be her political downfall. Doing what “should” be done and voting for Clinton gives people no feeling of power, no sense of