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"Another obedient subject remonstrates after she’s finished obeying, because she quickly understands what the experiment was really about and is disgusted." Th
by abruzzi 12y ago
"Another obedient subject remonstrates after she’s finished obeying, because she quickly understands what the experiment was really about and is disgusted."
This critique seems to be missing the point. Of course if all the subjects knew that they were being tested on their obedience to sadistic authority, none of them would have gone as far as they did. (or maybe they would have knowing that the pain was not truly inflicted.) The point was that when they thought they were inflicting pain for some greater knowledge/good, they had no problem. The above quote is portrayed in the story as "disobedience". Its not, its regret, maybe shame.
- otakucode 12y agoAnd that shame only comes about because they do not have the shelter of crying "I was only doing my job!" or "I was only following orders!" Give a person that shelter and they can become the most horrific monster imaginable, with no moral compunction whatsoever. They abdicate all moral responsibility for themselves. That is why "just following orders" or "just doing my job" should be seen as a guarantee of moral bankruptcy and deserving of the most extreme punishment. If you take advantage of those shelters and abdicate your own moral sense, you are a dangerous uncivilized animal and should be locked in a cage for the protection of the rest of society.