ABSTRACT
Obedience is often a good thing. It permits society to function smoothly and to accomplish large-scale goals that require hierarchical coordination. The ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, extolled the importance of obedience to the state, even stoically accepting his societys order to drink poisonous hemlock. During the height of the Vietnam War, an American Bravo company swept through a defenseless hamlet, My Lai, slaughtering everyone in sight, because they were suspected of siding with the enemy. Social psychologists are well aware of the horrors of history and the world around them. In Milgrams words: A substantial proportion of people do what they are told to do, irrespective of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience, so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority.
