Why Some Crave Authority and Some Obedience - Essay Example

In the last two paragraphs where Milgram talks about “a fragmentation of the total human act”, I believe he is referring to a problem of obedience that is not wholly philosophical. With effective social organization, obedience can yield evil since the structure of the society compels an individual to take orders. Such a structure eliminates the aspect of responsibility thus; the consequence of an evil action does not confront anyone. Through specialization in careers, for example, a security officer views aspects of society from a restricted angle. He takes orders from the authorities obediently and implements them without questioning such intricate features as the morality and consequences of such orders (Milgram and Philip 172).

The “essence of obedience” according to Milgram believe is the ability to infuse conscience in obedience. He encourages people to consider their actions and adopt a broader approach to circumstances thereby obey orders that contribute to the greater good of society.

As such, he encourages people to submit to authority but do so by reconciling their conscience with the orders. I believe Erich Fromm would agree with Milgram in his arguments.