Obedience: The Dilemma of a Democratic Society

Obedience: The dilemma of a democratic society

One of the most famous studies ever conducted on the subject of human obedience was that of Stanley Milgram's electric shock experiments. In Milgram's experiments, subjects were pressed to transmit what they believed were deadly electric shocks to fellow human beings. The purpose of Milgram's experiments was in part to understand how Nazi soldiers could have possibly have committed such horrific atrocities during World War II, simply because they were 'following orders.' However, even within the U.S. military, strict compliance is demanded in terms of the soldiers' behavior, dress, and bearing (Wenker 1981). Milgram's subjects came from a wide array of cultural backgrounds and many had not served in the military, yet the commanding presence of an authority caused them to obey and give apparently deadly shocks for no discernable purpose. The construct of the experiment was seen as horrifyingly strange by many individuals who read about Milgram's study, but soldiers in the field are constantly confronted with the question of how to be obedient to their commanding officers in a moral fashion.

While the U.S. possesses a highly individualistic culture, the military places a strong premium upon obedience, partially by virtue of necessity. In the field, absolute obedience is required to ensure there are no needless American causalities (Wenker 1981). Rank and deference to one's commanding officer's superior wisdom and experience is required for the military to function. However, this also makes it all the more important that officers must behave morally and ethically, given the profound conflict they create in the hearts of their soldiers when they give orders that do not seem to be in the nation's best interest or morality.

The need for military obedience is always a dilemma for a democratic society such as the United States. On one hand, the military is fighting to preserve democratic values. On the other hand, the military cannot be run as a pure democracy, as to do so would be suicide in the field. Basic training creates a sense of a common military culture amongst an increasingly diverse population of recruits, and part of that culture is defined by the need for serving obediently in a cohesive unit. Stressing the value of obedience is necessary to preserve lives and win battles, and for the obedience to be effective it must often be reflexive and instinctual.

The much-remarked upon lack of community in modern Western culture has created a fighting force that is more individualistic than in years past, according to some observers, which intensifies the need to stress the value of obedience. However, in response to such criticisms, it is important to remember that the U.S. military, even in the 21st century, has violated its own moral code and ethics at times, and soldiers have defended themselves by stating they did so out of obedience and the need to follow orders. No matter how important obedience may be, a fighting force of unquestioningly obedient soldiers will not be able to produce a new generation of commanders, able to fight sophisticated wars using technology, and guerrilla conflicts on a variety of fronts.