`` Disobedience `` By Theodore Dalrymple And Erich Fromm ...

The Nuremburg Trials of 1945 were some of the most controversial military tribunals to be held in the 20th century. In the trials, Nazi war criminals were put on trial for the atrocities they committed against the Jewish population of Germany. When asked why they had committed such acts of horror, many of the Nazi soldiers attested by saying that they were under orders to do so. The trials questioned the motives behind instances of mass human torment which have led many scientists and psychologists to strive to understand the rationality behind human obedience. Two of these psychologists, Theodore Dalrymple and Erich Fromm explored the instances in which disobedience and obedience to authority should be applied. Fromm wrote his article†¦show more content†¦Dalrymple mentions that while his orders to prolong the lives of dying patients went against his morals, he felt obligated to follow the commands of his physician due to her greater amount of experience; however, Dalrympl e also states that it is oftentimes necessary for a subordinate to determine when they should disobey an authority. Not only can blind obedience lead to negative consequences in a society, but blind disobedience can have similar adverse effects. Some of the negatives of blind disobedience include individuals who cannot listen to other individuals and properly perform their jobs. Additionally, people who cannot obey authority in their lives find it very difficult to have human interactions as they live their whole lives only listening to themselves. These individuals live life as though it is a power struggle. Though the Milgram experiment pins obedience as being a negative attribute for an individual to express, Dalrymple states that neither total obedience nor total disobedience are beneficial to society. Fromm initiates his article by addressing the commonly held belief that obedience is a virtue and disobedience is a vice. Fromm mentions that this is not the case, as â€Å"human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of obedience†(Fromm 227). Man began human history through Adam and Eve eating the apple in the garden of Eden. Additionally, Prometheus stealing fire from the Greek GodsShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Abuse of Power in the Military1186 Words   |  5 Pagesfor the college students to exert their power as guards. Erich Fromm is another prominent author who wrote â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem† in 1963, shortly after the Cuban missile crisis (Fromm 258). His article mainly discusses obedience; Fromm divides obedience into an authoritarian conscience, obeying out of fear or to please, and humanistic conscience, listening to a person’s own morals and ethics (Fromm 261). Fromm explains rational and irrational authority by stating thatRead MoreEssay on Obedience1004 Words   |  5 PagesErin Poulsen ACP W131 Mr. Scanlan 19 October, 2015 Comparative Critique Obedience and Disobedience has been a part of key moments in history. Many have studied forms of obedience to learn how it affects people and situations. For example, Stanley Milgram conducted a well-known experiment in which the subject, named the â€Å"teacher† must shock the â€Å"learner† every time he doesn’t remember a word pair from a memory test. The focus of this study is on the teacher, and whether they will administerRead MoreDisobedience Vs Obedience1700 Words   |  7 Pagessome individuals to blindly obey orders without contemplating the credibility of the source. In psychoanalyst Erich Fromm’s article â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,† he explains that throughout human history obedience has been associated with virtue and disobedience with sin (Fromm 127). Fromm suggests that our conscience is an internalized voice of authority (126). Fromm claims individuals need to distinguish the difference between rational and irrational authority because obedience