This term we have been discussing rules and how they affect your life. But who is to say what is right, and what is wrong? Who makes the rules anyway? Rules/laws in your culture might differ greatly from rules/laws in another culture, because the idea of right and wrong differ greatly. Also the way laws and rules are enforces differ greatly.

What is Authority?
Who gets it?
How do they get it?

Why do we need it?

If people are ‘basically good, and civilized’, then why do we even need laws? Can’t we self govern? Or do we have to be taught and told how to behave? Do you believe people are born good, or born evil?

This film is about a study by Philip Zimbardo in 1971. It was called the Stanford Prison Experiment, and was a famous, highly controversial, ethical study (there is a modern movie about it called ‘The Experiment’, but you need to ask your parents permission to watch it).  This experiment was carried out before there were laws concerning ethical issues.  Groups of students were paid to perform the roles of ‘prisoner’ and ‘guard’ to see how people conform to roles and obedience. The experiment was to carry on for two weeks, but had to be pulled to a halt due to the harm inflicted on the participants.

Watch:

Caution, some scenes show acts of violence and course language.

If you were a guard how do you think you would have responded? If you were a prisoner how would you have responded? How did this film make you feel?

How do you feel about human nature after watching this Philip Zimbardo film and learning about Milgram’s experiment ?