A Few Good Men By Erich Fromm - 1403 Words

Studying obedience to authority most often reveals human nature repugnantly; however, it teaches society individual capability and, thus, it can prevent unethical actions. In the film, A Few Good Men, Col. Nathan R. Jessup, the commanding officer at Guantanamo Bay Cuba orders a â€Å"code red† – an unsanctioned disciplinary action against Pfc. William T. Santiago. Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey, two U.S. Marines, are the fellow platoon members that implement the code red, and Lt. Daniel Kaffee defends Dawson and Downey in court. Erich Fromm, author of â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,† and a social psychologist analyzes the origins of obedience and disobedience as well as different kinds of obedience†¦show more content†¦Fromm would say Jessup benefits by receiving obedience to the order, whereas Dawson and Downey gain no benefit. In addition, Kelman and Hamilton cite that killing a human being, according to the Uniform Code of Military justice Article 118, is unlawful and without excuse when intended â€Å"to inflict great bodily harm† (Kelman and Hamilton 135). Therefore, Kelman and Hamilton logically explain the ordered code red planned to provide Santiago with discipline by inflicting injuries. Not only was it an unethical command, but it was dictated by an authority who was irrational. Jerry M. Burger, professor of psychology at Santa Clara University, and author of â€Å"Conformity and Obedience† recognizes that the military would soon cease to function if their officers stopped obeying authority (Burger). If Dawson and Downey disobeyed, a chain reaction could have occurred resulting in a culture in which orders are no longer followed. Furthermore, Burger continues and explains that â€Å"in the name of ‘following orders’† people violate common ethical grounds. Fromm would likely refer back to humanistic conscience, meaning that despite following ord ers, one is aware of when an action causes destruction of life (Fromm 126). Fromm identifies why one should not listen to irrational authority on a human moral basis, whereas Kelman and Hamilton analyze it from a lawful point of view. Both American Military law and the Geneva Convention directly forbid killing of this kind (Kelman and HamiltonShow MoreRelatedA Few Good Men By Erich Fromm1546 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the motion picture â€Å"A Few Good Men† it obscures the inquiry whether disobedience or obedience is the rational distinction and at what instant does following the orders turn into blind obedience and submission? Furthermore, the movie complicates this theme by establishing military culture where disobedience to a higher power invokes dire repercussions. One example in the motion picture is when United States Marines Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private Louden Downey where instructed by theirRead MoreA Few Good Men By Erich Fromm1404 Words   |  6 Pag esIn the movie A Few Good Men, there is a large overlying problem in how Dawson and Downey succumb to blindly following their superior’s crude moral values. In his article â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,† Erich Fromm studies the acts of obedience and the subsequent disobedience from a psychological standpoint. He begins by attesting disobedience to the beginning of true human life and obedience to the lingering doom that humans faced during the cold war. He continues to furtherRead MoreA Few Good Men By Erich Fromm And Stanley Milgram1214 Words   |  5 PagesThe movie, A Few Good Men, is the story of how two marines go on trial for the murder of another marine. The movie then unfolds into an emotional drama which dives deep into conspiracy and the psychodynamics of following orders. A Few Good Men was a critically acclaimed movie and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Similarly, authors Erich Fromm and Stanley Milgram, wrote essays th at explored the morals behind obedience, and how disobedience of immoral commands can bring betterment to othersRead MoreEssay about The Abuse of Power in the Military1186 Words   |  5 PagesA Few Good Men is a movie that adequately causes debate among renowned professors, philosophers, and psychoanalysts. The film demonstrates multiple qualities of commands and power in the military, specifically the Marines. A Few Good Men has an early distinguishable gender distinction, where women are subordinate to men, despite being higher in rank. Marines use a punishment known as a Code Red to discipline any soldier who fails to comply with any and all given orders. Philip G. Zimbardo is a professorRead MoreObedience and Disobedience in A Few Good Man1594 Words   |  7 Pagesfilm A Few Good Men. Two soldiers caught in the middle of right and wrong will keep there hope and loyalty high as they wish for the best. Will the instigator of it all be pressured through his own anger to reveal t he truth? Rob Reiner presents Col. Nathan R. Jessep as having an exaggerated self opinion while using his power for evil, based on dispositional factors. Lt. Daniel Kaffee uses his Harvard law education to represent two Marines who are being charged for murder in the movie A Few Good MenRead MoreObedience And Its Effect On Society2278 Words   |  10 Pagesbeen the root of numerous atrocities and serves as a reminder that obedience can lead to humanity’s downfall. Themes of obedience are studied in many articles and experiments. Two prominent examples, Stanley Milgram, a social psychologist, and Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst, both wrote about their beliefs as to why humans are so prone to obey. The nature of human obedience derives its potency from consistent habituating, protection, and a deeply ingrained human characteristic. One of the reasons whyRead MoreObedience Is Not A Bad Thing Essay1420 Words   |  6 Pagesobedience and disobedience serve a purpose, from positive control through obedience, to denying control to avoid being influenced to do something immoral. Erich Fromm, Doris Lessing, and Stanley Milgram reveal how the effects of obedience can be negative and how hard it can be to disobey. Obedience can be catastrophic; during the holocaust, many men obeyed orders only to find they were puppets in an evil scheme. However, thriving obedience in the human species is a cause of the need to please, a difficultyRead MoreObedience Is Not A Bad Thing Essay1465 Words   |  6 Pagesobedience and disobedience serve a purpose, from positive control through obedience, to denying control to avoid being influenced to do something immoral. Erich Fromm, Doris Lessing, and Stanley Milgram reveal how the effects of obedience can be negative and how hard it can be to disobey. Obedience can be catastrophic; duri ng the holocaust, many men obeyed orders only to find they were puppets in an evil scheme. However, thriving obedience in the human species is a cause of the need to please, a difficultyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie A Few Good Men Essay1555 Words   |  7 PagesConsequences of Obedience Late one night, two Marines, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey carried out a â€Å"code red† on Private First Class William Santiago that ultimately resulted in Santiago’s death. In the film A Few Good Men, nominated for an Academy Award for best picture and directed by Rob Reiner, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, investigates the crime and develops his own opinion on whether the murder of Santiago was ethically stable in terms of Dawson and Downey’s mentalRead MoreLove and Marriage Illustrated in Raisin in the Sun, A Dolls House and Is Love an Art960 Words   |  4 PagesIn the late 1800’s through early 1900’s women and men were did not â€Å"tie the knot† like the women and men do in today’s day. In today’s world, women and men get married because they have many things in common, they are in love with each other, and they choose to get married to one another. In many stories written back then, reade rs can expect to read about how marriages were arranged and how many people were not having the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today. Take a look at Ruth and Walter in

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Free Essays

Civil War General Sherman once said, â€Å"War is hell. † He was right. In the short story â€Å"The Things They Carried,† Tim O’Brien shows us the hell that our soldiers suffered. We will write a custom essay sample on The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien or any similar topic only for you Order Now The narrator shows us a captivating, and up-close story about our soldiers in the Vietnam War. While the title relates to the story about things carried, but the soldiers carry more than just the physical burdens-in many cases, they are weighed down by emotional baggage. The emotional baggage that lies heavy in their hearts outweighs the physical weight. In addition to the items that they must carry, they also carry personal mementos. To show how much the soldiers are carrying the narrator tells us â€Å"things carried were largely determined by necessity. † Some of the necessities included, â€Å"P-38 can opener, pocket knives†¦candy, cigarettes†¦C rations and two or three canteen of water. Together, these items weighed between fifteen and twenty pounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The narrator goes on to give us even more detail about the things the soldiers carried; â€Å"†¦. carried the standard M-16 gas-operated assault rifle. The weapon weighed 7. 5 pounds unloaded, 8. 2 pounds with its full twenty-round magazine†¦. grenade launcher, 5. pounds unloaded†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By telling us exactly what the men carried and how much it weighed, it gives us an insight on the physical burdens that the men had to carry. The narrator tells us that the intangible items that these men carried proved heavier than any backpack and gun. The main character in the story is Lieutenant Cross, platoon leader. He is in l ove with a young girl in the United States. She is always on his mind and because he allows his thoughts to take him away and be with her. Because of this, he blames himself for the death of another platoon member even though there was nothing he could have done to protect him. Lieutenant Cross felt the pain. He blamed himself. † â€Å"He pictured Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he love her so much and could not stop thinking about her. † I think here he is being a little unreasonable. His love for her didn’t kill Lavender. He didn’t feel only the burden of being responsible for Lavender’s death, â€Å"it was the burden of being alive. † They all carried great emotional weight. â€Å"They carried all the emotional baggage of the men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were the intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. † With all the physical and emotional things they carried, they also carried things that were close to their hearts. They carried mementos and other small weapons. â€Å"Mitchell Sanders carried brass knuckles. Kiowa carried his grandfathers feathered hatchet†¦. Kiowa always took along his New Testament†¦Lee Strunk carried his slingshot; ammo, he claimed, would never be a problem. † We’re told that Lieutenant Cross carried letters from Martha in his rucksack, and pictures of her in his wallet and a pebble. †¦Lieutenant Cross received a good-luck charm from Martha. It was a simple pebble, an ounce at most. † These things, although that was something else they carried, I feel like that, these items are things that made them feel like there was a world outside the war. They carried a silent awe of the power of the weapons, which kept them alive by killing the enemy. They carried infection, the weak or wounded, the thumbs of slain Viet Cong, guilt, and the soil of Vietnam itself. Perhaps the only certainty of a rather ambiguous war was that there would never be a shortage of things to carry. How to cite The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, Papers

Holy Moly free essay sample

Socrates is simply asking questions to get a straight answer from Euthyphro, which he is unable to do. When asked, â€Å"what is piety? † Euthyphro answers â€Å"Doing as I do†. He thinks he is doing the pious thing by bringing his father up on charges of impiety. In his words, he is saying prosecuting anyone guilty of murder, no matter who they are . Socrates , basically is not entertained by this response, because it is not an answer. When asked again â€Å"what is Piety? † Euthryphro responds with, â€Å" What is dear to the Gods is pious and what is not dear to them is impious†. Socrates asks† Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious?Or is it pious because it is loved by the gods? Euthyphro is contradicting himself. That which is dear to the gods is dear to the gods because it is first loved of them, not because it is dear to them. We will write a custom essay sample on Holy Moly or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But the pious or holy is loved by the gods because it is pious or holy. Which is the same as saying that it is loved by them because it is dear to them. His explanation is going in circles. When asked again, Euthyphro responds, â€Å"Piety is knowing how to please the Gods in word and deed, by prayers and sacrifice† Socrates responds by saying that it is a way of doing business between the gods and men.You ask the gods what you can do and they tell you what they want you to do. Euthyphro has failed to show what pious is. I believe Socrates goal in the dialogue was to change his mind about prosecuting his father and to determine whether Euthypro’s definition of piety or impiety was sufficient enough to prosecute his own father for murder and to clear himself of his indictment.The features of the dialogue that led me to believe this was when Socrates asked, â€Å"Are you able to show your father guilty of murder or that all the gods are agreed in approving of our prosecution of him. Then says to Euthyphro† If you had not certainly known the nature of piety and impiety, I am confident, you would not have charged your father with the murder† Euthyphro, then hurries away , I am thinking to save his father from being tried for murder. If Socrates knew the nature of piety and impiety he may have been able to clear himself of Meletus and his indictment.