What Is The Theme Of Disobedience As Psychological And Moral Problem By Erich Fromm

In Erich Fromm's essay, “ Disobedience as Psychological and Moral Problem”, he states the argument of obedience versus disobedience. Within the essay Fromm states multiple reasons why people chose to obey and why they chose to disobey. Throughout time the idea of disobeying was a sin whereas the idea of obeying was seen as a virtue. With that thought, people obey because they felt the power that it held and that they traveled the same path, so they would never be alone. If they were to disobey, they would have to travel that path alone, which many do not have the confidence to do. Which follows Fromm's key claim in regards to civil disobedience, disobeying an authoritative figure could have a better outcome than obeying. The movie, A Few Good

Downey was demanding to know what they had done wrong, because they had been following a direct order given to them by Colonel Jessup. Dawson responded by telling him that their job was to defend those who couldn't defend themselves and they went against that by following an order which ended up getting Santiago killed by their own hands. Fromm states the fact that, “ Obedience to the “authoritarian conscience”, like all obedience to outside thoughts and power, teds to debilite “human conscience” the ability to be and to judge oneself.” (Fromm 685). This supports the idea of choosing a path to follow, they chose the path that everyone followed because they never disobeyed orders, for the sake of other. The need to follow orders blinded their possible judgment of the situation and how it could have played out. Not only the need to follow orders, but the need to follow their code, cost them someone's life along with their honor. Fromm's argument of obedience verse disobedience can be seen in multiple instances in A Few Good