Milgram & Authority

[Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>]

E>Milgram had 66% go to the end of the board with the subjects believing
E>they had killed a person with electric shock. 

Sorry I didn't see this thread before it trailed off into personal 
disputes.  One of my favorites.

Anyone interested in liberty or politics should have read "Obedience to 
Authority" in which the results of this experiment are reported for 
popular consumption.

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Search term: milgram

Milgram, Stanley
--------------------------------
The American social psychologist Stanley Milgram, b.  New York City, Aug. 
 15,1933, d.  Dec.  20, 1984, gained wide recognition for the experiments 
described in his book. Obedience to Authority (1974).  In one, 
"technicians" urged participants to give a series of electric shocks of 
increasingly higher voltage to "subjects" who had incorrectly answered 
questions.  About 60 percent compiled.  No voltage was actually applied:  
the subjects were actors who feigned agony. Milgram took the results as 
proof that ordinary people will inflict pain on innocent people when 
commanded by an authoritative figure.

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There was also a made for TV movie starring William Shatner as the 
researcher.

Helps you understand "how they could do that" when confronted with 
atrocities.

DCF

"Why did you use force or violence to overthrow the government of the 
United States?"

"I vuz only followink ourders!"
--- WinQwk 2.0b#1165