RE: Milgram & Authority

[Sandy Sandfort <sandfort@crl.com>]

C'punks,

On Tue, 26 Apr 1994, Duncan Frissell wrote regarding the experiments in 
which test subjects were told to give "victims" supposedly ever 
increasing jolts of electricity:

> . . .
> The main reason they did it is because they were being told to.  Primates 
> have a hard time disobeying authority figures or standing out from the 
> crowd. 
> . . .

Also, if memory serves me, they were told that the "researcher" would take
"full responsibility" for the test subjects actions.  This allowed the 
subjects to proceed since, in their minds, they were "only following 
orders."  No one seemed to question the idea that it is possible for one 
person to take responsibility for the actions of another.

I have asked myself many times, what would I have done?  I like to think 
I would have refused, but I honestly don't know.  Scary thought, huh?


 S a n d y