You have a good point but since disagreeing with you is part of my nature :) What if you had time to think about what you were doing? Eichman had years to realize what he was doing. Plus torture and cold-blooded murder aren't the same.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/conscience.html Although Milgram's findings are disturbing, more recent research has suggested that obedience to authority over conscience is not inevitable. Indeed, the research of Steven Sherman, also a psychologist, suggests that education can strengthen the power of conscience over authority. Sherman had a colleague contact several people by telephone, ostensibly to "poll" them on their opinions. The "pollster" asked them what they would do if they were ever ordered to perform a certain act that was morally or socially undesirable, and spent some time discussing the issues with them. Several weeks after the contact was made, these same people were actually asked to carry out that act. Surprisingly, two thirds refused to obey the order, a sharp contrast to to Milgram's finding that two thirds of those ordered to act against their conscience would normally obey. The implication of the Sherman experiment is that if people reflect on a moral issue before they are involved in it, they are more likely to behave in accordance with their consciences when that issue faces them in real life. Moral reflection and discussion of the kind found in the best types of moral education substantially enhance the ethical quality of a person's future choices. On Thu, 3 Feb 2005 14:58:33 -0500, Larry C. Lyons wrote: > I'm coming into this late (and only very temporarily), but I thought I > had to weigh in on this. We are not all innocent, frankly in one sense > we are all Eichmanns. At least that what Stanley Milgram's research > in the psychology of obedience found. In a result of a series of > experiments on obedience to authority which he conducted at Yale > University in 1961-1962. He found, surprisingly, that 65% of his > subjects, ordinary residents of New Haven, were willing to give > apparently harmful electric shocks-up to 450 volts-to a pitifully > protesting victim, simply because a scientific authority commanded > them to, and in spite of the fact that the victim did not do anything > to deserve such punishment. The victim was, in reality, a good actor > who did not actually receive shocks, and this fact was revealed to the > subjects at the end of the experiment. But, during the experiment > itself, the experience was a powerfully real and gripping one for most > participants. > > These results have been duplicated world wide in many different > nations including Israel. For more information see > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment. > > Accordingly, we are not all that innocent. You or the person beside > you may be another Eichmann. > > larry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:146184 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
