The Expectations Of Morality And Actions - 972 Words

Connor McAdoo HIST-111-B Olin 22 April 2017 Word Count: 918 Ordinary Men Essay As a society, we have certain expectations concerning morality and actions. When an individual’s behavior coincides with our societies’ expectations then they are deemed as ordinary because they are not an outlier. Though when the situation changes for individuals so do their actions and after an amount of time their new actions and behaviors become the norm. Even when the behavior fundamentally conflicts with their held beliefs. These middle-aged and middle-classed men were normal according to societies standards, yet once they were placed under what they perceived to be an authority figure they completed terrible tasks. Browning explains this with the†¦show more content†¦How can a class of people be so commonplace yet they were able to do such extraordinary deeds? It was not due to them having an insatiable bloodlust or that they enjoyed killing. Rather it was due to the psychological implication of their situation and the ever-present pressure to go along with an established authority figure and peers. In Stanley Milgram’s experiment which displays this phenomenon of human nature, there were three individuals who had the roles of experimenter, teacher, and learner. The teacher, who was an unknowing volunteer, was instructed by the experimenter to â€Å"teach† the learner pairs of words to memorize. When the learner would incorrectly repeat the word pairs, the experimenter directed the teacher to administer an electric shock which was supposedly received by the learner. The shocks would become increasingly severe as more mistakes were made. Unbeknownst to the teacher, the learner was an accomplice of the experimenter, and was acting while not actually receiving the painful shocks. It was found that most of the subjects would continue with the more severe electric shocks if they were reassured that they must continue by the experimenter which was the authority figure. (McLeod) This result was inspired by the events of the Holocaust and relate, in-part, to Browning’s explanation of the ‘ordinary’ men’s behaviors. Since the situation that the men of theShow MoreRelatedWho Is The Six Stages Of Moral Development?847 Words   |  4 Pagesdevelopment of morality? As we know morality is not easy to understand, and can never be defined by â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong†. Morality is the ability to do something right for the right reasons. Some reasons are better, more important or more advance then others, but it is up to the individual to choose the reason that they believe have a greater value or a more advance form of ethical judgment. Kohlberg had a major influence on the evolution of moral behavior and morality. 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Status [can lead to the wrong people being in a high position i.e. making bad decisions affecting the community/society] Appearance [society appears to be moral/good (if you’re from a higher status) {dickens criticisesRead MoreIs Utilitarianism Too Demanding?1046 Words   |  5 Pagescan sometimes fail to live up to expectations, if the demands of the theory have not been maximised for the sum total of welfare in the universe. When there is singular distress some hardships cannot be alleviated, providing that performing an alternative action cannot do even more good. John Mackie argued utilitarianism as an â€Å"ethics of fantasy†. A theory that is so demanding must turn out to be counterproductive. If all requirements were to be respected, morality as such would have to be given upRead MoreLawrence Kohlberg s Levels Of Morality1422 Words   |  6 PagesRunning head: LAWRENCE KHOLBERG’S LEVELS OF MORALITY Lawrence Kohlberg’s Levels of Morality And How We Can Relate Ourselves to his Theory Sarah Blasco Tri-County Technical College LAWRENCE KOHLBERG’S LEVELS OF MORALITY Abstract This purpose of this is to describe Kohlberg’s theory of morality in detail; I will describe each level that pertains to this theory and how they have affected me personally. Lawrence Kohlberg theory of moral development isRead MoreKohlbergs Theory of Moral Development Essay803 Words   |  4 Pages Kohlbergs theory of moral development consists of six stages within three levels known as preconventional Morality, conventional Morality and postconventional Morality. Kohlberg calls stage one thinking preconventional because children are unable to speak as members of society at this point. Instead, they see morality as what the adults say they must do. Kohlberg believes that moral development is a process which occurs throughout the lifespan and does not end at any given time. He is not so