Discussion Questions: The Perils of Obedience
Brainstorm your answers to the following questions. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1. How far were most people willing to go to obey authority? Would you have gone this far?
2. According to the text, "ordinary" people are more likely than not to follow an authority figure. Does this seem believable? Why or why not?
3. Do you think that what the participants did was wrong? Does it mean that they are "evil"?
4. Milgram's findings can be used to possibly explain why people have committed horrible acts throughout history, despite being considered "good people" under other circumstances. With the findings of this study, how might such things be prevented from happening again?
5. In the context of this article, why do people do bad things? Use evidence from this text, your own experience, and other art, literature, or history in your answer.