Ought to be required reading.

The insights of this book are good, but it repeats itself a lot

After finishing this book, I feel enlightened. Not only that, but I think that Milgram's experiments and analysis of said experiments needs to be put on blast in our present day. He was able to get at such a core human trait that carries a dangerous risk to our own survival and humanity.
Having knowledge of these experiments and their outcomes allows us to inspect our own behavior to authority and when we should be defiant to authority, rather than to act against our own conscious. How can there be so many reports of people who acted 'on orders' even though they themselves disagreed with those orders? This book and Stanley Milgram's experiments can tell you why.
It can tell you how people who may not themselves act with brutally are an accessory to these acts because of their position. They do not lay hands on anyone. They do not see themselves as responsible, but they are a part of a hierarchical system.
The findings from these experiments are remarkable, but not enough of us know about them and what they tell us. I encourage anyone to read this. It is a bit scientific, but not too bad. Milgram's voice is a very gentle and humane one.

Look everyone it's the other half of my favorite Social Psychology duo

I think most people have at least heard of Stanley Milgram's famous experiment whereby he tested people's obedience to authority. The experiment is fiendishly clever. The subject is led to believe that they are the 'teacher' in an experiment about human memory. The 'student' is an actor. The 'experimenter' instructs the teacher to administer successively more powerful electric shocks to the student on each missed or wrong answer. Out of the thousands of people so tested, quite a few went all the way up to 450 volts. The experiment shows that people's obedience to authority supersedes their personal morality.



The book describes the experiments, and the many many variations conducted and outlines a theoretical framework for the development and affects of authority. How is it that some people project an aura of authority and some do not. Why do the teachers obey the authority of the experimenter but not the student? The conclusions shocked a generation but these days seem quite natural.



The book has some interesting tips on how to personally stand up to authority and here is its true value. This should be required reading at schools.

Equally interesting and disturbing.