Obedience to Authority

One of the most important books in social psychology of the last fifty years, “The classic account of the human tendency to follow orders, no matter who they hurt or what their consequences.” (Washington Post Book World) The landmark examination of humanity's susceptibility to authoritarianism, Stanley Milgram's classic speaks to the present with disturbing urgency. "Milgram's experiments on obedience have made us more aware of the dangers of uncritically accepting authority," observed Peter Singer in the New York Times Book Review. In the 1960s, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram famously carried out a series of controversial psychology experiments that forever changed our perceptions of morality and free will. The subjects—or “teachers”—were instructed to administer electroshocks to a human “learner;” with the shocks becoming progressively more powerful and painful. Controversial but now strongly vindicated by the scientific community, these experiments attempted to determine to what extent people will obey orders from authority figures regardless of consequences. "The aim of this investigation was to find when and how people would defy authority in the face of a clear moral imperative." With an introduction from Dr. Philip Zimbardo, who conducted the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, Obedience to Authority is Milgram’s fascinating and troubling chronicle of his classic study exploring the banality of evil, and a vivid and persuasive explanation of his conclusions. This foundational text of social psychology explores the unsettling questions at the heart of the human condition: A Landmark Study in Social Psychology: Delve into the methodology and results of the famous Milgram experiments, where ordinary people were asked to administer progressively severe electric shocks to a stranger. The Psychology of Obedience: An in-depth analysis of why individuals comply with malevolent authority, sacrificing personal morality and free will in the process. Humanity's Susceptibility to Authoritarianism: Milgram's compelling explanation of the "agentic state," where individuals see themselves as instruments for carrying out another person's wishes. Essential Historical Context: Features a powerful introduction by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment, linking Milgram's work to other crucial investigations of human behavior.