The experiment is not essential and does not need to continue?

[Rigs83]

This thread is about the Milgram experiment where people were asked to administer electrical shock to what they thought were other volunteers up to a lethal amount if they answer a question wrong. The people being shocked were actors and no one was actually harmed but the researchers discovered that given the right environment 50% of people would harm others. At this site:
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/
you can hear an interview about torture and an excerpt from one of the people who refused to continue the experiment until the health of the other volunteer was verified.
Now if you were in a situation that you were under orders to do harm to another would you? Why or why not?

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

Yes, yes I would, I'm a very angry and spiteful person.

 

[sky14kemea]

oh i heard about this before

i figure yeah, if its a science experiment you can always almost count on a placebo being used at some point XD

 

[Spindleweed]

Look up the stanford prison experiment also, similar premise. It appeasr given the chance perfectly "normal" people are horrendously cruel and spiteful.

Why do you think we take such delights in headshots?

 

[Avida]

Being the pussy I am i'd definately be one of the ones who stuck with authority the whole way. UNLESS i was one of the... was it three people in the original experiment who had panic attacks or something simmilar?

Jeez, im rusty, *dives to textbook*

 

[TwistedEllipses]

I have a sadistic streak and I have a Machiavellian interest in furthering science, so I'm afraid I would continue all the way...and I might be disappointed finding out later it wasn't real...

 

[xXGeckoXx]

I wouldn't hesitate.

Says lelouch. Neither would I. Science comes above the average person.

 

[crudus]

The fools who get their questions wrong must be weeded out of the gene pool!!

Chances are I would not hesitate.

 

[AdmiralWolverineLightningbolt]

im sure i wouldnt
id tell them to piss off unless i was getting paid or they were very threatening in which case of course i would

 

[Panzer_God]

Yes, yes I would. I would shock the test examiner instead though. Those dudes were evil little buggers.

 

[GrinningManiac]

I have heard of this before, so I would because I knew it was fake.

Imagine my suprise when it turns out they were SERIOUS this time!

But really, it depends on the guy/gal in the chair. I judge books by their cover, and if the person looks a *****, they get the happy treatment any day of the week

 

[JRCB]

Depends. If it would end in hilarity, then probably.

Off-topic: Through scientific experimentation (in which my teacher did something wrong), my teacher blew up a goat. Sadly (or not), it wasn't in front of us.

 

[benwaddell]

People have a sort of halo effect which makes them believe they could do no wrong. The Purpose of Milgrams experiment was to prove that ordinary people could be made to harm another human being, due to the presence of an authority figure. 100% of the participants reached 230 volts, and a large number went up to the full voltage.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Now if you were in a situation that you were under orders to do harm to another would you? Why or why not?

That's one of those questions no-one can truly answer unless they've been in that situation.
I'd like to think I wouldn't do it, but it's never been tested.

Just as an aside, the original Milgram experiment noted that people who were the most vocal about their dislike of events were usually the ones who kept going, sometimes all the way to the end of the experiment (where the victim is apparently tortured to death).

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

I'm not really into S&M, so no.

Atleast now we know who the audience for Hostel is.

 

[Mr_spamamam]

there is only one way to really determine what you would do in those situations and that is to experience them.

 

[Lord George]

I wouldn't stop doing harm to them, it would be fun.

 

[megalomania]

Look up the stanford prison experiment also, similar premise. It appeasr given the chance perfectly "normal" people are horrendously cruel and spiteful.

Why do you think we take such delights in headshots?

Have you seen any of the video footage of that? It was frankly disturbing at times. They canceled the experiment after about 3 days of the planned fortnight I think!

OT: Was an interesting experiment, I'm not sure I would have gone along with it, but who knows, the whole point is that people did it because they were told it was 'OK' by an authority figure.

 

[DazZ.]

If I could see the other participents I was supposed to be hurting that would greatly differ my choice.

Hot girl gets tiny shock and a cheeky wink.
Hot girls boyfriend death, if I can make it look like an accident and pretend to save him for more kudos points in front of hot girl all the better.

If I just got numbers would be different.
Or if they were hurting me back aswell id make it equal.

 

[Ossum]

The point of the experiment was that normal people who believe they would not hurt other people would do so with enough authoritative pressure. Therefore anyone who answers in the negative (I wouldn't do it) can't really be sure of that answer, unless somehow they've faced that situation before.