Obedience to Authority
by Stanley Milgram
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stanley MilgramEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 1983-08-08
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 256
Book Reviews of Obedience to Authority
Book Review: Disturbing Insights About Humanity
Summary: 5 Stars
Are you and I any different from Heinrich Himmler or Adolph Eichmann? Of course, we want to believe that we are made from entirely different clay than those evil monsters, but reading Stanley Milgram's book, _Obedience To Authority_, will make you wonder.
The book describes an experiment that was conducted in the 1960s by Yale University psychology professor Stanley Milgram. Milgram placed advertisements in local newspapers, soliciting volunteers for an experiment in human psychology. The volunteers were told that the experiment was about memory and learning, but in reality, the experiment was about the conflict between conscience and authority. The volunteers were told to read sets of words to a man, and then test him on how well he remembered them. They were further instructed to administer an electric shock whenever the man made a mistake in remembering the words. The shocks began at 15 volts, and proceeded by 15-volt increments, all the way up to 450 volts. At the 150-volt level, the man screamed in agony and begged to be set free. At each shock level from that point up to 300 volts, the man let out a horrifying scream. At the 300-volt shock, the man stated that he would not answer any more questions. The volunteers were told to treat each non-response as an incorrect answer, and to continue with the shocks. After the 330-volt shock, no further sound was heard from the man.
Happily, the victim of the shocks was an actor who wasn't really being shocked at all. The real purpose of the experiment was to observe how the volunteers would behave when confronted with a choice between cruelty and disobedience.
The results of this experiment were amazing. Two-thirds of the volunteers continued to shock the man, all the way up to the 450-volt shock. Even after the 330-volt shock, when they had good reason to think that they might have killed the man, they continued administering shocks all the way to 450 volts. Only one-third of the volunteers defied their instructions and refused to continue the experiment due to concern for the man receiving the shocks.
This book presents insights into human nature that you will find both highly disturbing and quite fascinating. Think about the implications of Milgram's experiment. Now ask yourself... did Henry Wirz get a fair trial? Did Adolph Eichmann get a fair trial? How can we make sure that there will never be another Holocaust? Did Nelson Rockefeller do the right thing at Attica? Was justice done in the case of William Calley? These are some of the questions raised by this magnificent book. They are questions worth pondering and discussing.
Everybody should read this book.
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