In all societies, obedience to authority is a characteristic that defines human beings. People obey those with authority over them. Whether individuals obey law and authority plays a big role in determining whether the society remains cohesive or plunges to chaos. Obedience or disobedience shapes the relationships that members of any given society have with one another. Sometimes, obedience goes to extremes in the society typified by master - slave relationships where slaves demonstrate obedience to their masters in its extremes (Gazzaniga et al. 554). As will be explored and shown in this essay, extreme submission to authority is necessary for the well-being of any society and its members.
Extreme obedience to authority is justified to keep contracts. Ethicists argue that the obligation to keep promises is an obligation to fidelity. Ethicists further observe that an obligation of justice is deemed to arise when such a promise is made to form a contract. A contact made to exchange goods and services has to be fulfilled by each party as they are obligated by law. Justice is only done when both parties involved in such a contract keep their part of the bargain without failing. Military officers serve with patriotism and enthusiasm because they have a contract with the state. Under such circumstances, they accept assignments over which there are risks involved only as a matter of keeping that contract. Whether their actions will be legal or not, they have an obligation to serve diligently bound by their employment contracts.
In case of an obligation by a member of the society, the extreme obedience to authority in order to keep promises is allowed. Commitment to keeping promises that one has solemnly made is an obligation that people make that becomes a binding factor that must be fulfilled without fail. What people promise must be obeyed under all circumstances because when people are under oath, they bind themselves to fulfill those promises even when circumstances do not allow. As Kenneth observed, the American military personnel make promises to obey through oaths to higher ranking officers. He says that not even fear or compulsion should dampen on the obligation to keep this promise (Wenker 8). From his findings its conclusive that in order to keep such a promise then extreme obedience is all-important.
It is granted to obey to the extreme as necessary when it is in our function. All people as moral agents have moral goals that they have an obligation to fulfill. They must choose the best means through which these goals will be attained. In extreme cases, the commitment to fulfill them will require moral agents to act even when the actions resulting are immoral. Some unfairness may be visible in the decision that those moral agents take, but, overall, the decision to attain the goals is the concern of whom it is bestowed.
On the other hand, submission to authority may lead to bad occurrences in the society. As shown by Zimbardo in an experiment, extreme obedience to authority is at times unnecessary because it causes physical and mental anguish to the people obeying as well as to other members of the society (mr1001nights). When people obey authority to the extreme, they are bound to cause pain to the masses and themselves. In Vietnam, there was a good example of this blind submission to authority where an entire village was slaughtered since the troops sent there had received authority to murder all people in search of terrorist groups. The troops had been instructed to kill all people they encountered on the way and for their extreme obedience to the commanders they killed woman and men and children who were innocent. This is a case of the destruction that can result from extreme to authority. The military rule that the soldiers’ obedience was proper but the actions from the rule were immoral. The soldiers are obliged to be obedient to their superiors but the responsibility of not following that rule lies with the soldier.
Critics of the necessity to extremely obedience to authority argue that it causes people to lose their individuality as well as the ability to make their own choices (Milgram 67). Extreme obedience has been shown to deny people moral autonomy to make moral decisions on their own. People who obey authority to the extremes loose the sense of their own desires and keep following the desires and decisions of a group according to Kenneth, people who obey authority to the extreme may lose their own personal identity and end up exhibiting group mentality.
While extreme disobedience to authority has been shown to be important and vital in certain circumstances, generally, extreme obedience has been effective and necessary in many other circumstances. Extreme obedience to authority has been demonstrated as necessary in keeping contracts, keeping promises, and for survival and as a fulfillment of an obligation one has as a member of a society.
Work Cited
Gazzaniga, Michael S., Todd F. Heatherton, and Diane F. Halpern. Psychological Science. (2010) New York, pp. 1-709.
Milgram, S. “Behavioral study of obedience.” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1963). Vol. 67, pp. 371-378.
Milgram, S. Obedience to authority: An experimental view. New York: Harper & Row, 1974. Document.
Wenker, Kenneth. "Morality and Militray Obedience." USAF Academy Journal of Profesional Military Ethics (1986): 8.
