Do Good People Turn Evil - 925 Words

In his short article Do Good People Turn Evil?, Doctor Adam Grant suggested that researchers might have drawn the wrong conclusions from both Stanley Milgram’s â€Å"obedience† experiments, and Philip Zimbardo’s infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. Milgram’s studies focused on the conflict between one’s obedience to authority, and one’s personal conscience. He devised a series of experiments in which involved participants (ordinary males from the New Haven area), to electrocute another individual. Participants where given the role as a â€Å"Teacher† and were paired with a â€Å"Learner† (an actor and confederate of Milgram unbeknownst to the â€Å"Teacher†). The procedure was rather simple; the â€Å"Learner† is given a list of word pairs to remember. The â€Å"Teacher† would then proceed to test the â€Å"Learner† by naming a word and asking the â€Å"Learner† to recall its partner pair. For every wrong answer, the â€Å"Teacher† would be instructed to administer an electric shock amongst the â€Å"Learner†, increasing the level of shock each time. His experiments were an attempt to answer the question â€Å"How far would one go in obeying in structions that were given by an authority if it involved harming another person?† Moreover, Milgram wanted to explain how ordinary people could be influenced into committing atrocities— seemingly normal Germans whom tormented individuals during the Holocaust— through his studies. Ultimately, it was observed that sixty five percent of the participants did in fact administer electricShow MoreRelatedEvil In Frankenstein Essay1201 Words   |  5 Pagesshown in Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley people grow evil without the presence of others with which they can relate. If someone feels they are alone, their actions will stray from their good intentions, and soon their intentions will not be so good either. The awful deeds done by humans, including those done by Frankenstein’s Monster, are done because isolation drives people to malicious actions. Frankenstein, Walton, and the monster would all be better people if they had a companion to help them throughRead More Good Vs. Evil : How Do People Become Evil?1527 Words   |  7 PagesBoris Hennig PHL 201 February 22, 2015 Good vs. Evil: How do People Become Evil? Through the centuries, the words ‘good’ and ‘evil’ have been used extensively to describe certain things or situations. The subject of good versus evil is one that often causes great debate as the two terms are not facts, but entirely subjective. When people are born, we presume they are innocent, because as infants they are not capable of carrying out actions that are evil, or good. They are a clean slate, and as timeRead MoreDefining Good and Evil873 Words   |  4 Pages Good and evil are more connected to each other than what people give them credit for. Good coexists with evil and there can be no good unless there is also an evil. Something that benefits a society would be considered good. On the other hand, if it does not benefit a society, it would be considered evil. The term good and evil can be associated with whatever a person sets their moral to be. When a person finds joy in something, they call it good. On the other hand, if it brings them agonyRead MoreThe Line Between Good And Evil In Philip Zimbardos The Lucifer Effect1185 Words   |  5 Pagesbetween good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.† Every indivdual has the decision between good and evil. Not every person will choose the right side of the line. When an indivdual crosses over the line to the evil side this is known as The Lucifer Effect. Philip Zimbardo, the individual that coined the idea, presented the ideas behind why people change and turn evil even if though their whole life they were not known as an evil person. According to Zimbardo, people turn evil for oneRead MoreThe Simpsons, Family Guy, Aladdin, And All The Scary Movie Movies1127 Words   |  5 Pagesmovies, books, and TV shows that make fun of evil. The Simpsons, Family Guy, Aladdin, and all the Scary Movie movies. There are numerous ways in which each makes fun of evil. Scary Movie alone uses numerous ways to mock evil, and turns all these scary, evil things into something to laugh about. Aladdin has people who are supposed to be evil, and come up with all these ideas to destroy good, but it always turns around on the evil people and works out for good. The Simpsons has an episode where Homer sellsRead MoreGeorge Zimbardo s Mock Prison Experiment And Other Past Events1507 Words   |  7 Pagestheme of â€Å"good† people turning evil under the pressure and influences of different ideas and people are commonly seen. This idea of good people turning bad was further strengthen in Philip Zimbardo’s Mock Prison Experiment and other past events such as the French Foreign Legion, the guards in the Abu Ghraib prison, and so on. This event demonstrated that even innocent, good beings could transform into an abusive and evil person, given the right conditions and incentives. So what is good and whatRead MoreThe Duality Within People By Christopher Nolan s The Dark Knight1278 Words   |  6 PagesWithin People The eternal struggle between good and evil is seen within human nature, as it is one of the most complex and controversial topics analyzed by many philosophers since the Ancient Greeks. The confrontation and differences of good and evil are displayed in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, through the character of Harvey Dent, who becomes Two-Face. Two-Face plays a crucial role for the understanding of human nature, as he is a manifestation of the inner turmoil of good versus evil thatRead MoreChristians Beliefs on Good and Evil Essay examples1164 Words   |  5 PagesChristians Beliefs on Good and Evil Christians may believe many different things about the power of good and the power of evil. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that God is all good and perfect. They teach that God perfectly loves; they also teach that God has the power to do anything (omnipotence). But there are all kinds of evil things in the world that cause people to suffer. These include moral evil, natural evil; such as floods, disease, hurricanes, fires andRead MorePaganism In Beowulf1182 Words   |  5 Pagesthroughout this poem, it showed a mixture of the two beliefs. These beliefs played a major role in the society of the seventh century, and these themes are still shown in today’s society. As students of literature we see that these universal themes of good and evil are not only evolving but also causing mankind to feud with one another. Furthermore, in the poem Beowulf it tells of a time when the Geats and Danes encountered many conflicts because of the different beliefs of a Christian and pagan cultureRead More God And The Problem Of Evil Essay1252 Words   |  6 PagesProblem Of Evil Everyday it is possible to read a newspaper, or turn on TV or radio news and learn about evil going on in our world. Banks are robbed, cars are stolen, violent murders and rapes are committed. Somewhere in the world the aftershock of an earthquake is being felt. Cancer is killing millions of people each year, while other debilitating conditions continue to affect many with no cure to end their suffering. President Bush said that our country is fighting a war against evil. We all