ipl-logo

Fromm's Disobedience As A Psychological And Moral Problem

781 Words4 Pages

In Fromm 's essay "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem" he talks about the reason why people are obedient. Fromm states that they are obedient because most people do not have enough courage to be alone. Whey they are obedient, it makes them feel secure because they are accepted by society. On the other hand, disobedience is not accepted by society, so if people disobey, they become an outsider. For instance, if a person is raised to think that stealing is wrong, they have also witnessed how others who do steal are treated by society. Because they know that they will be treated badly by the society they are less likely to steal. Overall, I agree with what Fromm says because I am less likely to be disobedient because I do not want to be looked down upon by society.

He means that disobedience sets individuals free and opens their eyes. A person is able to evolve from acts of disobedience because they are able to break primary bonds with nature and authority. If Adam and Eve had not committed that first act of disobedience, then man as we know him today would not exist. When people are acting disobediently, they are able to rely on their own powers and become fully human. Therefore, Fromm means that disobedience is the first step into independence and freedom because an individual is breaking away from what is right and is acting in ways that he feels are appropriate.

By saying that history began with an act of disobedience and will likely end with an act of

Show More
Related

  • Tension In Civil Disobedience

    916 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau attempts to persuade citizens to deliberately disobey and isolate themselves from the government. Thoreau creates a metaphor where injustice impacts a government machine. First, he writes that citizens can let the government or machine try to fix itself or try to find the injustice within itself, “…but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine” (Thoreau, 1847, p. 134). Thoreau identifies that ultimately if citizens want change from injustice, citizens must disobey.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience In Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From Birmingham Jail

    631 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr once stated, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” in his Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. He was invoking the principle of civil disobedience. He wasn't justifying breaking laws just because, but instead, meant that you break the law and accept your punishment, in hopes that people will come to see that the law is unethical. Civil disobedience plays an important role in how our society has been shaped up until this point.

    Read More

  • Henry Chavez Disobedience

    234 Words  | 1 Pages

    Henry David Thoreau, an American philosopher and abolitionist, once stated, “ Disobedience is the true foundation of Liberty. The obedient must be slaves”. Thoreau asserted that disobedience is the reason America claimed it 's Liberty and those who are obedient are the Government 's slaves who don 't realize what 's around them. I acquire that Disobedience is a very important act and helps us progress and achieve goals people said were impossible, but good people didn 't listen In the 1960’s, California witnessed an unexpected Civil Rights movement inspired by Cesar Chavez.

    Read More

  • Radical Disobedience Dbq

    799 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the beginning of mankind’s recorded history, opposition to established governing bodies have always been recorded. Whether through coup d'etat or a peaceful protest, resistance to authority always causes change in some way. The United States Government changes; laws are meant to change as well. America prides itself on the history of its peaceful protests and revolutions, demonstrating positive effects on a free society. Because peaceful resistance wasn’t creating progressive change, radical disobedience was the key to change in the 1700’s during the American Revolution.

    Read More

  • Why Is Disobedience Important In The African-American Revolution

    650 Words  | 3 Pages

    To disobey someone is to disregard them and refuse their authority, and this in generally seen as a bad thing. People are told to listen and obey to the higher ups to avoid punishment. But, throughout history disobedience has brought about much needed change. Disobedience is often necessary to promote change and we can see this throughout America's history. From the American revolution in 1775 to the slave rebellions in the 19th century to the civil rights movement in 1954.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience: Martin Luther King Jr.

    1153 Words  | 5 Pages

    He explains civil disobedience as “that it is more important to develop respect for the right, rather than a respect for the law, for people’s obligations are to do what's right”. There are many different people who show civil disobedience in

    Read More

  • Oscar Wilde's Essay: The Role Of Disobedience In Society

    1034 Words  | 5 Pages

    Disobedience can be defined as failure or refusal to obey rules or someone in authority. Disobedience can also be defined as causing a disarray within society and causing a shift in social normals to more perfectly suit the conditions of a community at a given time, in the sense that it promotes the questions of poor social norms, and the change in our mortal standards and by the progressive though of one’s own mind. Oscar Wilde argues that it can allow society to progress and to allow science about different or certain topics to be broken or misplaced, and the way that it counter our social norms instead of disobedience leading to be a negative human and societal trait in our very way of life. He also argues about how disobedience can lead

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Gandhi And Civil Disobedience

    515 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Civil Disobedience and the Gandhi article are alike based on the fact they both discuss civil disobedience, attending prison, and standing for one’s beliefs. Civil disobedience can be seen as a good thing and a bad thing depending on to what extent one is breaking the laws. Some people may break the law because they feel that it is unfair to them but others break the for the simple fact of doing what they want in order for it to benefit themselves. Laws are meant for the majority which means even if they are not pertaining to certain citizens. Thoreau targeted laws that pertained to him, Gandhi went on strike for the better of his country and people.

    Read More

  • On Civil Disobedience

    799 Words  | 4 Pages

    Civil Disobedience is an important moral responsibility of a citizen, however it should not get to the level of illegal activity under any circumstances, because great reform can be brought peacefully not violently. In the title named "On Civil Disobedience" by Mohandas K. Ghandi once said: “No country has ever become or will ever become, happy though victory in war”(Mohandas K. Gandhi , 148). Even that long ago, when war was at high, and people embraced it, he knew that the only thing war brought was death, and depression among civilians. This method of civil disobedience has only resulted into more wars, and no real solutions. The most efficient way to the be civilly disobedient is to be peaceful, but willing to stand up for your cause.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Disobedience In Fahrenheit 451

    929 Words  | 4 Pages

    Disobedience The history of our society constantly proves that it has and is being shaped by protesting beliefs, hiding under the law, and disobeying rules and norms. In 1891, Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) observed, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” Many examples of disobedience have been shown in literature. Some show the outcome of disobedience as successful, although it doesn’t always work out the way it was intended.

    Read More

  • Unjust Laws In Civil Disobedience

    1660 Words  | 7 Pages

    Civil disobedience is the deliberate action against an unjust law to invoke a positive change in government and society. Civilians have the right to refute these types of unjust laws to eliminate inequality and government’s unjust nature by following conscience before laws for moral guidance. As demonstrated in Antigone, this is depicted by the daughter of Oedipus, who disobeys Creon’s law for the greater good because of the laws unjust nature. In Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, a naturalist, promotes this concept as well through his philosophical standpoint of the flaws of the government. Lastly, in Dr. King’s letter he qualifies the idea of civilians disobeying their government through non violent campaigns to stand up against

    Read More

  • Thoreau Compare And Contrast Essay

    642 Words  | 3 Pages

    2. Thoreau refers to civil disobedience not merely as a right but as a duty to emphasize the need for individual to have the capability to defend their honest thoughts. As it states, “I think we should be men first, and subjects afterwards” (Thoreau 941). Thoreau wishes for the individuals in society to be able to preach their truth, even if it means to display non-conformity to the government expressing unjust laws. 4.

    Read More

  • Summary: The Case Against Civil Disobedience

    1290 Words  | 6 Pages

    Herbert J. Storing, an Associate Professor of Political Science, in “The Case Against Civil Disobedience,” writes, “One of the practical consequences of this institution [civil disobedience] is to divert disobedience and even revolution into the channel of law” (97). What Storing is saying is that civil disobedience will encourage people to break the laws and they will hide under civil disobedience to avoid the law. Also, civil disobedience might split society by creating disagreements with the people, and it could create a political instability. However, Storing fails to see that those who break an unjust law, as discussed above, do not avoid the law, in fact they show respect to the law as they willingly accept the consequences. By accepting the consequences, they show that they are not acting for their own interests but for society’s.

    Read More

  • Transcendentalism In Civil Disobedience

    904 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau questions, “must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think we should be men first, and subjects afterward”, indicating that man should take more focus on standing up for what is right instead of conforming to what the majority is thinking or what people are being told to think by the government (Thoreau). Thoreau explains that every man has a conscience for a reason, all men are able to generate an opinion on what is right and what is wrong and that men should in a sense “man up” and fight instead of backing down to become slaves to the legislative government. Thoreau gives an example of his non-conformity in Civil Disobedience when he writes about how he stood up against the government by withholding money to pay his taxes.

    Read More

  • Is Stealing Not Good

    258 Words  | 2 Pages

    And because they can’t afford it, they think it’s good to steal and it’s not. Stealing is also not good because when you steal it causes a lot of confusion. And distrust from others to go out without a weapon, or to even let their children walk to the bus stop without their parents.

    Read More

More about Fromm's Disobedience As A Psychological And Moral Problem

Open Document