Obedience, essential in the foundation of society, has its benefits and risks. There are circumstances when too much obedience leads to loss of individual identity while too little causes chaos and anarchy in the society. The essential questions regarding obedience lie in its effectiveness in maintaining order in society and its capability to transform human beings into machines. In its simplest form, obedience can bring forth both peace and anguish in a society and it differentiates between individualism and collectivism. Striking a balance between obedience and critical thinking is necessary for an efficient society to retain a healthy dose of individuality. The exercise of obedience within society inherently suggests that there is a
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When the people do not see the need to respect authority figures in society, it creates chaos and conflict. When Antigone decided to go against the law due to cultural and familial values, she demonstrated civil disobedience towards the state. Her stubbornness caused her to act out against the laws and disrupted the order of the state. Due to Antigone’s disobedience, Creon was stuck with a dilemma to save her by killing the witnesses or letting her suffer the consequences of her actions. Antigone’s critique of the laws can also be observed in the present day where citizens feel the need to critique the policies and laws enacted by the government because of personal morals and values. The question which arises then, is whether pronounced lack of disobedience causes more pain and suffering upon a state when compared to the existence of obedience. When one person gathers their courage and resists authority, more people will follow suit, undeterred and unafraid to speak out for themselves or for others. The resulting domino effect would result in more disturbances and an imbalance of the hierarchical system of the state. The rulers, then, would have to manipulate certain truths, dirtying their hands in the process, just to regain balance in society. The lack of obedience to authority highlights the distrust of government in a …show more content…
A balance of obedience to authority must be found to run the most efficient state, while acknowledging the needs and wants of individuals of the state. Exercising the ability to think critically is essential in having this balance. Learning from Karl Marx, having a critical eye in assessing each situation helps people to properly exercise their rights of obedience in the state. The issues that are presented through laws, policies and news should not be taken at face value, but rather used to spark the interest of people to dive deeper into the root of such problems to find a solution. Often times, people go against the law because of their instincts and assumptions of the problem at hand. They need to ponder upon why such laws are in place or why certain situations happen before making the decision to completely submit to authority or completely reject authority. A balance of obedience also needs personal accountability and responsibility. Each action carried out should be paired with a consequence, whether positive or negative. No one should be able to disassociate themselves from the consequences by hiding behind the veil of total, unquestioning obedience. They should make deliberate choices and asserting individuality when obeying or disobeying orders to create balance in
When the people do not see the need to respect authority figures in society, it creates chaos and conflict. When Antigone decided to go against the law due to cultural and familial values, she demonstrated civil disobedience towards the state. Her stubbornness caused her to act out against the laws and disrupted the order of the state. Due to Antigone’s disobedience, Creon was stuck with a dilemma to save her by killing the witnesses or letting her suffer the consequences of her actions. Antigone’s critique of the laws can also be observed in the present day where citizens feel the need to critique the policies and laws enacted by the government because of personal morals and values. The question which arises then, is whether pronounced lack of disobedience causes more pain and suffering upon a state when compared to the existence of obedience. When one person gathers their courage and resists authority, more people will follow suit, undeterred and unafraid to speak out for themselves or for others. The resulting domino effect would result in more disturbances and an imbalance of the hierarchical system of the state. The rulers, then, would have to manipulate certain truths, dirtying their hands in the process, just to regain balance in society. The lack of obedience to authority highlights the distrust of government in a …show more content…
A balance of obedience to authority must be found to run the most efficient state, while acknowledging the needs and wants of individuals of the state. Exercising the ability to think critically is essential in having this balance. Learning from Karl Marx, having a critical eye in assessing each situation helps people to properly exercise their rights of obedience in the state. The issues that are presented through laws, policies and news should not be taken at face value, but rather used to spark the interest of people to dive deeper into the root of such problems to find a solution. Often times, people go against the law because of their instincts and assumptions of the problem at hand. They need to ponder upon why such laws are in place or why certain situations happen before making the decision to completely submit to authority or completely reject authority. A balance of obedience also needs personal accountability and responsibility. Each action carried out should be paired with a consequence, whether positive or negative. No one should be able to disassociate themselves from the consequences by hiding behind the veil of total, unquestioning obedience. They should make deliberate choices and asserting individuality when obeying or disobeying orders to create balance in