Sorry about posting this late!
Tell me what you think Milgram's experiment tell us about human nature. Do you accept his conclusion that American society does not insulate us from committing terrible acts of atrocity if an evil person knows what buttons to push? In other words, are we so obedient that we are capable of hurting innocent people if commanded to do so?
Please post a response by Wednesday, February 4.
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April Daugherty
ReplyDeleteI believe that Milgram’s experiment showed us something we wouldn't want to admit to ourselves. The fact that we are capable of hurting an innocent man just because a stranger, we don’t know, tells us to go on is not very pleasant news. I believe that everyone can be manipulate there is just a different level you will have to go to with different people because we are all unique. In fact I do believe that we are so obedient that we are capable of hurting innocent people. The holocaust is a large scale view of just that. People are being told you must kill those people they are bad. You can also trace it down to kids in some cases. Your friend tells you that kid is being a jerk to him so we need to beat him up. So the kid, even without actually seeing the bullying, will listen to his friend and go start a fight. I believe being taught to trust and listen to a friend or a higher authority has made us obedient and capable of hurting innocent people.
I believe that Milgram’s experiment shows that humans are innately obedient. When people are faced with what they perceive as an authority figure they do not want to go against that figure. This is why they were willing to go so far in the experiments. They were faced with an authority figure who they felt obligated to follow. I think that this shows that people are willing to follow orders from authority and they may not stop even if it is “wrong”. This obedience could be a danger in any population of people not just America. The level of control authority figures can impose on people has been used over and over to orchestrate genocides and inquisitions. I think that Milgram’s experiments showed that it is possible to impose that kind of control on Americans even though the public may think that the American way of life protects them from it.
ReplyDelete*Shirley Pouliot
ReplyDeleteExit Ticket
I think that this experiment was a good way to show us what humans are really capable of doing. Peoplpe may be sitting here saying they would follow harsh demands by others but this experiment shows that they even do it under there own will. I think this is wrond to do but it really was a good experiment to do at the time cause it gave us information about psycology and what people will actually do to others even know they sit there saying they would never hurt anyone. I believe that Milgrams experiment showed that people were obedient and that they do follow what others want them to do all there life wether knowing it or not. They are faced with a authority figure and they think they are obligated to follow what they say but when tested in different places with different circumstances people were less likely to go to 450 volts. This still shows that people do have the ability to hurt people even if it was real the person who was giving the shocks did think its real and did think they caused a person to get hurt so thats why it just isnt right to do anymore, cause mentally that makes people get hurt.
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ReplyDeleteMilgram's experiment tells us a lot about human nature. It proves that we not only have the tendency to listen to authority figures when they tell us to do something even if it's bad, but we are also capable of making evil choices on our own. We tend to crack under pressure especially when we feel that the person ordering us is of greater importance than ourselves. We are very obedient, whether we realize it or not, and this could have the power to make us hurt an innocent being. If we were told to do something bad to someone, chances are we would probably listen just out of fear of getting in trouble if we disobeyed. Milgram's experiment teaches us something about our nature that we don't want to believe is true. Our fear of getting in trouble overpowers the guilt we would have from hurting an innocent human being.
ReplyDeleteLauren Doucette
ReplyDeleteI think that Milgram’s experiment tells us that as human beings we are very obedient. We listen to our higher authorities. I was shocked to see the results of this experiment, I did not believe so many people would go and hurt someone because a scientist told them to. This experiment truly shows us what human beings are capable of doing, all because of human nature. I do accept Milgram’s conclusion I feel that that humans can be manipulated in to do things that they might not have thought of. An experiment such as this touches the evil inside of all human beings. Although, I agree with Milgram’s conclusion I feel that this experiment should definitely not be done again. As we discussed in class, this experiment is in fact unethical today because it causes psychological harm. I totally agree with this. I think that even though no one was harmed physically, it was very emotionally draining. Also, I feel that many things have changed since the last time this experiment was put in use. I do think that people today can still be manipulated into doing bad things however; I do feel that it will take a lot more time and effort in order to actually manipulate the innocent person to do the evil deed. I think that over the years the human brain has matured and become more complex. I think that today people think differently then they did when this experiment originally took place and it would be much more difficult to manipulate a person. With a lot of hard work and effort, I do believe that the manipulation could be done.
Julie Do
ReplyDeleteThe experiment that was lead by Stanley Milgarm truly showed that humans are obedient even if they don't want to admit it and humans are obedient without even knowing it. It also showed that humans can be manipulated into doing anything including harm. But the key is to manipulate them in a certain way because everybody is different in their own way so one plain method will not do. Inside of every human being is a dark side and we are all capable of showing that dark side if successfully manipulated to do so. For instance, no one can hit anybody that is innocent but if someone drills in their head negative images, rumors, or thoughts about that person, pretty sure they are capable of doing the harm.
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ReplyDeleteRob Johannes
ReplyDeleteMilgram's experiment tells us that when put under an authority figure human's follow orders even if someone's life is seemingly in danger. I think that the way the experiment was set up had a lot to do with results. I'm not entirely sure on the exact experiment because I was not in class on the day it was discussed but I think that because Milgram looked proffessional enough the people assumed that because he was familiar with what they were doing to the subject and he still told them to go on, then it must be safe. This is because outright killing by goverment and authoratative figures is not prominent in the United States. But despite any assumptions, Milgram's experiment human's put obedience first and safety for others second.
Nathan Doucette
ReplyDeleteHis experiment tells us that humans are obedient. According to Milgram's experiment people are capable of hurting innocent people on command. Even though the person was unconscious and had heart problems, the subjects were so obedient that they kept going whenever the authoritative figure asked them to do so. It was shocking that so many people went past when the actor said he had a heart problem and that it hurt. I would have thought that people would have felt bad and stopped right there, but they didn’t simply because they were asked to move on. So, through the results, the answer is yes, if asked to do so, a person could be influenced to cause harm to another if told to do so from an authoritative figure. Because they felt that they had to listen to the orders of the experiment even though they may have thought it was wrong. This experiment is dangerous because it can cause great psychological harm to them after they realize how much pain they had caused to the other person. It was also interesting to see the results of the other variations of tests for this experiment. How if you were in the same room that you would stop sooner because you would realize that what you are doing is wrong. And I agree with Lauren, on how it would take more effort to manipulate someone today, but it can still be done, because we are now, and will forever be obedient.
Molly Savard
ReplyDeleteMilgram's experiment exposes a darker side of human nature that most people would probably be ashamed to admit to possessing. Despite what society teaches us, we apparently have an inherent inclination to obey orders and “go with the flow.” The experiment may also tell us something about the values instilled in us by society. We are taught to obey authority figures, regardless of our personal morals or gut feelings; perhaps, according to this experiment, to a dangerous point. By tapping into humans' disposition toward obedience, Milgram was able to exploit that potential flaw and manipulate the subjects.
I think that Milgram's experiment can teach us that most humans feel threatened and listen to people of higher authority. The people taking part in Milgram's experiment did not know Milgram at all, yet they would listen to him and hurt an innocent person. I accept Milgram's conclusions and I believe that we have been taught to obey from the time we are born, therefore it makes sense that we could be easily manipulated. Even though I can accept Milgram's results from his experiment, I do not think that this experiment is morally correct.
ReplyDeleteMilgram's expirament was interesting in which it showed us what kind of person someone can become. He made the people keep going even though they wanted to stop all because they were told to keep going. There have been many examples of people doing evil things just because they were told to do so from some higher authority. Milgram was just shining a light on the fact that humans are much more obedient than they would like to believe and that some people have a hidden evil inside them that could be unleashed if it were forced by someone.
ReplyDeleteThe desire to conform is deeply ingrained in human nature. I cannot think of anything more necessary to survival than group participation. Sure, we can accommodate iconoclasm in our cushy modern world – but what about during the Pleistocene? Humans have enjoyed modernity only for a millisecond of evolutionary time. Therefore, during most of human history individuals with “rebel” genes were quickly eliminated by natural selection. Conformist genes were selected for.
ReplyDeleteEvolution was remiss if it left this crucial conformist tendency to be taught by “society”. Nay, it must be deeply ingrained in the psyche. Stanley Milgram unearthed this aspect of human nature, and his results were unequivocal – under the right circumstances, people obey almost any command. Anthropology tells us that in pre-state societies, the command to kill was given often. Our evolved obedience knows few limits.
His results shock beyond belief. How can normal people from a liberal, capitalist country be capable of such cruelty? The behavior Milgram witnessed ran against his participants’ most profound values. Such horror cannot be inculcated by our mundane society – it must be innate and universal.
I think that Milgram's experiment shows us how people are brought up always listening to a higher authority. In the experiment, Milgram wore a black lab coat, which made him seem more serious and smarter. When he told the the experimenter to press the button, they did because in this society we are taught to be obedient and listen to the higher authority. I think that we are obedient, and we are capable of hurting the innocent person because if someone talks us into it enough, with no consequences, we are more likely to hurt someone that doesn't deserve it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Milgram's experiment was done at just the perfect time. In the 60's, average people weren't greatly accustomed to the science of electricity. If we look back at Tesla's great inventions, people were scared of the stuff he made and banished their reproduction because they were afraid of the unknown. Milgram was a genius in that he chose to create an intimidating looking machine that the teacher would operate to shock the student. Despite the possible fear that the teacher might normally have of hurting the student, Milgram was able to use intimidation and control to get the subject to continue. There are many different things that could've ran through these subjects minds such as well I've got nothing to lose or even if I kill this guy they can't hold it against me cause it's an experiment. Well no matter what's going on in the teacher's mind, it was all overshadowed by the intimidating voice/appearance of the all-important sophisticated science lab guy. Therefore, what this experiment told us is that we can be easily manipulated and influenced into believing things. Sports coaches are master psychologists. "You see your opponent? they're that annoying bug buzzing around your room that you just wanna kill! They're your worst enemy, you gotta pound them into the ground!" Motivational speeches like that can stimulate your adrenaline and get you angry. The army does the same thing because they make terrorists seem "less than human" to the point that you'd have no problem killing one. Using the correct methods of manipulation, a master of these dark arts could make the sweetest child burn the most innocent flower.
ReplyDeleteI think that Milgram's experiment shows that people are obedient and do whatever they are told. In this experiment Milgram performed it in a lab, to give the teacher the idea that it was real. The teacher was to shock the "learner" which ended up being an actor, for every question they got wrong. At the end of this experiment is showed that over half of the teachers went all the way to 450 volts. I think this was a cruel thing to do for Milgram because it only proved that people can do what they are told. The teacher didnt know that the learner was only an actor and he had a script. I just think that it was a cruel thing to put them through because they believed they were really shocking them and causing them pain.
ReplyDeleteI think that Milgram definitely proved a point that humans are obedient. If sixty five percent kept shocking the man their common sense had to have been nonexistent. With these statistics it would make sense that our nation is just as likely to be controlled as any other. I can only imagine that people would deny it, but statistics don't lie. I personally don't feel I would ever hurt someone, but I really could never be sure.
ReplyDeleteFrom his experiments he proved this theory with a lot of evidence to back it up. However, his techniques weren't very appealing. Playing games with peoples minds by making them believe they are causing harm to another person can surely have negative side affects. It would be unheard of today, and although the statistics taught us a lot, the risks aren't worth it.
I found it interesting that we, along with the professors from Yale, all believed that the "teachers" would stop around 150 to 200 volts. That shows that people would like to believe we are moral and have a sense of what is right and wrong. Apparently, however, we are so wired to listen to authority figures that we can be controlled against our own basic morals according to the experiment. As April brought up, the Holocaust is a huge example of this. Human beings were used basically as weapons to kill other human beings. Some of them had known each other, but it didn't matter, an authority figure told them to do it, and so it was done. People question how they could have listened, but apparently, obedience is a trait in all of us. I was most shocked, but apparently shouldn't have been, at how many people kept going to the highest voltages. The man had already passed out, for all they knew, they were killing him and kept going. That is sick. I just have to say, in closing, that it was an extremely clever, although twisted, experiment on Milgram's part.
ReplyDeleteWe had a long discussion about whether Milgrma's experiment was ethical or not, citing that it could potentially cause psychological damage after the person realized that he was capable of hurting someone. I do not think that the experiemtn in itself is unethical, as it only reveals to the teacher what he or she was capable of, it didnt force or coerce the teacher to 'torture' the actor. The teacher in the experiment kept shocking the actor out of his or her own volition. As molly said, this may reveal a somewhat darker side to the teacher that was previously unknown, something the teacher may be ashamed of or shocked about afterwards, but the experiment did not create this darker side for the teacher.
ReplyDeleteWhat i think of Milgram's experiment was that it teaches us as humans as so called civilized moral being we are today have the capacity within us to kill another person. As human as i am i dont want to admitt that part of me exists but unfortunatley it does shown in this experiment. Umm i would have to agree with danny that this experiment was not unethical for the fact that it was the persons own free will to make the decisions to keep shocking the actor they could have stopped at any time granted there were some variables to consider like the environment the test was held in perople might have felt intimidated by the lab coat and the seriousness of the experiment but the teacher has the power to stop and go no further at any time. there is also the complete opposite side, what if revealing this evil and dark side of people could make them have go into like some kind of depression or become what they fear.
ReplyDeleteMike
ReplyDeleteWhile it was a very controversial concept I believe that it is still acceptable to conduct experiments like this due to the fact that it tells us so much about mankind. It reveals the truth that (although we may not like to admit it) people do have it in them to "flip the switch" even if it is not apparent at all times. And while one might argue that it is a socially unacceptable experiment because it can traumatize the person that is pushing the button, I still believe that even with the "white coat' barking orders over their shoulders, people still have free will to exersize. If the person continued to shock the subject well after he/she had passed out it was always in them to do that.
Richard votta
ReplyDeletei believe that people listen to the higher authorities even if they do not know the person. The person could be fake, as Milgram showed us. He put a lab coat on a person and had someone hooked up to an electric shock machine, and told someone to keep zapping them when they got the answer wrong. The machine was not really hooked up but the person zapping them, thought it really was. The person with the lab coat would say go on, the experiment requires you to go on, and they would no matter how much pain the person was in. Milgram shows us we listen to or are scared of higher authorities
I truly believe that as humans, we are capable of doing terrible things to each other. All we have to do is turn on the six o'clock news to hear about that. However, I also believe that moral and kind people can be pursuaded to do horrible things too. This is why I find Milgram's experiment so interesting. Specifically, the results Milgram got after altering his experiment were shocking. The conclusions showed that when there is an authority figure in the room, a person is more apt to carry out what that person is asking to do. It's important to undersand psychological things like this to know how people are coaxed to do horrible things.
ReplyDeleteMilgram's experiment shows that we are capable of doing terrible things to other humans which i do agree with. He shows us that we are very obedient and that this obedience drives us to do these things that are wrong or immoral. I wish that I could say that I would stop if I were in this experiment but I don't really know, I do know that I do try to obey and please authority figures so the results of this experiment are not all that shocking to me but it seems crazy that we would go as far as that just to be obedient.
ReplyDeleteMilgram's experiment showed that humans are capable of hurting others under the command of an authoritative figure. Not many people are willing to admit that they would shock the test subject even after hearing of the heart problems. The majority of people would not even consider this to be something they would be capable of doing. Milgram’s experiment showed that the human race is very obedient. We are always taught to obey someone in a position of power, and we are punished if we don’t. A few key examples are teachers, police, and parents. If you don’t do what a teacher says, you get detention. Defy a cop? Jail. Tell off your parents? Grounded, two weeks. We are a very obedient race, and are trained to be so from birth. I believe that Milgram’s experiment was necessary to open up peoples eyes about exactly how obedient we have come. To keep sending shocks to a man with heart problems after he is passed out? That is absurd. Yet some of the experiment participants continued on. One part of the experiment that I felt was a good indicator of how much the authoritative figure’s presence was necessary was when the voice came over the intercom to give the instructions. Less people went all the way to shocking him to the point of passing out. Milgram was right about how obedient humans are. Nobody is readily willing to admit it, but many proved the point during that experiment.
ReplyDeleteMike
ReplyDeleteI agree with Keith that Milgram’s experiment shows that humans are innately obedient. When people are faced with what they perceive as an authority figure they do not want to go against that figure. But this is only true to a certain point because with every society or actually for any situation where there is someone trying to control others there is going to be someone trying to go against that authority figure and go with what they believe. Ken Kesey tried to point this out in his book "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest". In the story he created a microcosm of society where he portrayed the government and authority throuth Nurse Ratched and the inmates as the society or for lack of a better word the followers and close-minded. And the revolter as McMurphy who would not obey the authority because he did not believe it was right. So yes there are some people who will listen to the authority figures to the point where it hurts others (such as when billy bibbit said that McMurphy made him have sex which got McMurphy in trouble) but thealways have free will and therefor if they so choose they can just say no.