Savagery In The Milgram Experiment

“With numbing regularity good people were seen to knuckle under the demands of authority and perform actions that were callous and severe. Men who are in everyday life responsible and decent were seduced by the trappings of authority, by the control of their perceptions, and by the uncritical acceptance of the experimenter's definition of the situation, into performing harsh acts,” Stanley Milgram reported after closely observing the behaviors and reactions of several hundred selected people in his famous experiment. The results of the Milgram Experiment supported the idea that even “good people” are subjected to wrongdoing, or worse yet, savagery. However, when comparing the two sides, a rather immense gap separates civilization and savagery in context. Nevertheless, a person—“good” or “bad”—has the ability to access a state of both; each human being is susceptible to committing immoral acts, whether or not driven by an

In the Milgram Experiment, Milgram focuses on the effects of authority, or legitimate power. The participants of the experiment are given roles as “teachers” and the choice to opt out anytime, but they seem to forget this when Mr. Williams, the experimenter and the supposed figure of authority, orders them to continue when they refuse to persist administering shocks to the “learner”. He politely starts off with, “Please continue.” When the teacher insistently protests, he uses a stronger statement, such as, “You have no other choice but to continue.” This tricks the teacher into thinking that he or she does not have another option, and they reluctantly continue the experiment thinking that they could have possibly killed a human being. A person may not want to carry out an order, but if an authoritative figure gives a command, the person feels as if he or she is forced to do such an act even if it is against his or her will. This can lead to “good people performing harsh