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In Reply to: Re: No differing here posted by OT2 on May 19, 2005 at 14:39:19:
Hi OT2
Milgram wanted to show that Germans 'were different' and that was why they could run the concentration camps. What he actually demonstrated was that given the right kind of society and societal pressures and commanding authority figures, the majority of people would obey seemingly destructive orders [some with and some without questioning].
The participants in these experiments actually believed that they were causing severe pain or injury or death to others and they did so 'because they were told to "go ahead" with the experiment'.
When the experiment was replicated with other populations [the first one was with blue collar Americans] the rate of obedience was reduced depending on the cultural back ground of the participants. But it does tell us something about how compliant human kind can be.
By the way, I do not believe that Milgram would be allowed to carryout these experiments today, he wouldn't get them passed an ethics committee. The only reason they were allowed originally was because a large group of professionals were of the opinion that the participants would refuse to carry out the seemingly destructive orders.
We are an interesting species aren't we?
