Obedience

A certain amount of obedience is a given in society. Milgram and others observe that social order would not be possible unless individuals are willing to surrender a portion of their autonomy, their free will, to the state. David Brooks emphasizes the importance, and the paradoxes, of what he calls “followership.” We see a similar sentiment expressed by the Grand Inquisitor when he argues, “never was there anything more unbearable to the human race than personal freedom!” (5). Even Socrates, in Crito, maintains that the fabric of society itself requires obedience to the state. So, this essay will explore the degree to which obedience is a necessary prerequisite to an orderly society.

Task: Choose one of the following.

  • Drawing from the Obedience to Authority chapter, respond to the Grand Inquisitor’s argument. To what degree does humanity need authority figures in order to experience happiness?

 

  • Apply the major principles of the Panopticon to the events in The Machine Stops. How does Foucault’s theory help to explain the extent to which Vashti conforms to social norms?

 

  • Analyze a specific moment from your past in which your humanistic consciousness came into conflict with your authoritative consciousness. Drawing from the Obedience to Authority chapter, Panopticism, Crito, and/or A Letter from a Birmingham Jail, explain how you responded to the situation.

 

  • Additionally, you may devise a prompt of your own as long as you run it by me first.

 

 

 

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