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Stanley Milgram's Theory Of Conformity

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Going as far back as science and history can take us; we’ve evolved to a highly knowledgeable species. In this process of attaining knowledge, we have discovered many truths about our environment and our self. This truth further corresponds to the knowledge, which we can classify as either ‘personal’ or as ‘shared’. It is however, extremely important to consider the balance between these differences. It is empirical that ‘Knowledge’ varies from knower to knower. This is possible as there are numerous ways of attaining knowledge (ways of knowing). Furthermore, knowers may adopt ways of knowing differently, as some could be more emotional whereas some could be more religious. Since it is possible that the ways of knowing do not hold consistent …show more content…

Furthermore, a parallel fundamental accounts for the concept of Obedience. The psychological study of obedience shows us how shared knowledge shapes personal knowledge in today’s world. Stanley Milgram’s experiment on conformity was an experiment that proved his hypothesis of conformity. Participants in the study were told that they were a part of an experiment studying a person’s capability to learn. Participants sat in front of a window overlooking the learner who sat in another room. Participants controlled a shock switch with thirty currents of increasing voltage. The learner was expected to learn a list of words and if he/she failed, the participant was to impose an increasing amount of voltage per mistake. Although a few “learners” expressed negative reactions to the experiment, over 70% of the learners carried on to the highest level of shock …show more content…

This establishes the viewpoints of the society. Personal knowledge, on the other hand, allows an individual to know and learn freely. Personal knowledge exists beyond the limits of shared knowledge. Personal knowledge allows individuals to either conform to societal thinking, or to believe against it. In both the bodies of knowledge, what is consistent is Belief. Plato defines any information to be Knowledge, only if that information is truly believed in. The balance of shared and personal knowledge is crucial as neither can exist without the

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