conformity to authority

The ‘genius’ cog in the system — Shostakovich comment

3 Comments / Politics, Psychology /

An intriguing remark by the musician Shostakovich about life under Stalin, and why so many mediocrities rose to cultural prominence under the Soviets: “Fiction triumphed because a man has no significance in a totalitarian state. The only thing that matters is the inexorable movement of the state mechanism. A mechanism needs only cogs. Stalin used […]

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Milgram’s obedience experiments

Leave a Comment / Human Nature /

Here Stephen Hicks discusses Stanley Milgram’s fascinating (and worrisome) experiments in obedience to higher authority. This is from Part 3 of Professor Hicks’s Philosophy of Education course. 1 clip: Previous: Asch’s conformity experiments. Next: Two more virtues: independence and courage. Return to the Philosophy of Education page. Return to the StephenHicks.org main page.

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