Morality Of Obedience In Milgram's A Few Good Men

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Humans are constantly pressured to be obedient and abide by rules and orders. Time outs are enforced for children when they act against their parents. Schools have strict guidelines for behavior. When a student acts out, administrators impose immediate consequences. Individuals are conditioned to follow orders through the punishments for poor behavior. Stanley Milgram conducted as social experiment aimed at determining the extent of human obedience to authority figures without being forced to comply. The responsibility of the consequences was transferred to the authority figures. Many subjects delivered shocks with the intensity to kill. They obeyed orders despite their morals. Consequently, in A Few Good Men, Lance Corporal Harold …show more content…

Dawson and Pfc. Downey’s trial endures many complications until the final verdict: dishonorable discharge from the Marines. The two comrades are confused and frustrated. Downey has no recollection of any violation of Marine code, but Dawson succumbs to newly enlightened guilt. He explains to Downey that they joined the Marines to fight for those who could not fight for themselves, but when they obeyed the Code Red, they violated this personal pact . They adopted a disparate version of morality. Milgram distinguishes a variety of moral guidelines, “. . . this type of morality: loyalty, duty, discipline . . . refer to the degree to which a person fulfills his obligations to authority” (Milgram 77). Dawson possesses this morality that focuses on being a member of a larger operation and loyal to authority rather than making individual choices. In the courtroom, Dawson identifies with a responsibility to authority not humane morality. Therefore, he cannot determine the cause of his punishment until Kaffee’s assistant illuminates Dawson’s poor conduct. He lost his true sense of morals and responsibilities amidst the grander Marine process. Without the Marines or strict orders, Dawson judgement likely would not have been troubled. After being dishonorably discharged, Dawson also mentions that he never meant to physically hurt Pfc. Santiago. In relation to society, Milgram determines, “A person does not get to see the whole situation but only a small part of it, and is thus unable to act without some kind of overall direction” (Milgram 77). Dawson only knows what he was ordered to do by Kendrick. He does not know the true reason for the order. Because he is blinded, he feels no opposition to the Code Red. He then follows through with the order. It is not until Dawson is broken free from the Marines that he recognizes the extent of the damage he has caused. As a Marine, Dawson obliviously followed orders, losing his responsibility for his

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