Today in class, we discussed the various readings for this unit. Based on what you heard--and what you read for class--which reading do you think you will critique for your paper? In the comment section here, please state which reading you are leaning toward, and why.
Identifying why we choose to write on a subject helps us connect to it more deeply, and can positively affect the writing process.
This is due by 9pm tonight (Wednesday)--thanks!
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Tahir Aimaq
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about critiquing "Authority and Excuses" by Alan Strudler and Danielle Warren because I find that heuristics is an interesting concept that touches on the idea that we are somewhat blameless for our actions that are ordered by authority figures. We feel as if we do not need to take full responsibility for our actions because of we tend to put some of that responsibility onto authority figures. What this implies is that unless we feel like our actions are coming solely from us, we will not take full responsibility for them.
I was also interesting in critiquing "The Perils of Obedience" by Stanley Milgram based off of what was said in class about how it is easy to write a paper about a subject if one is really fascinated by it.
Spencer Watson
ReplyDeleteI am leaning towards Erich Fromm's "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem". I believe it draws the most interesting and contemplated thoughts on obedience/disobedience, and provokes the most thought. I could (for lack of more academic phrasing) ramble-on most easily about Fromm's essay, and the other articles would serve as good support/comparison to whatever stance I decide to take in my paper.
The reading I will critique for my paper is "Group Minds" by Doris Lessing because I like how she states that we are all individuals, but we all "live in groups" and our views, thinking, and perspective of things might change based on what our group feels. I agree that it is true that the hardest thing in the world is to stand against one's group.
ReplyDelete-Tina Bui
The one reading that I am leaning more into critique for my paper is The Perils of Obedience by Stanley Milgram. I like this particular article because it is the article that Milgram wrote about his Milgram Experiment. He used a scientific method of writing out his experiment, by first providing with the hypothesis, then the actual experiment, with details, and last, with the results. Besides the way this article is formatted, I am also interested on the results of the experiment, this is how as human beings, we tend to listen to higher authorities without being told that they really are the higher authority. It astonished me how many people were able to reach that 450 volts level of the experiment and not feel remorse about if they had really hurt the other person getting shocked. What is also interesting is that just by the way a person is dress, could signify how others see him/her , making them a higher authority or not.
ReplyDeleteJanette
The piece of writing that I plan on critiquing is Authority and Excuses by Alan Strudler and Danielle Warren. It was really interesting and it explained Stanley Milgrams experiment that attempted to explain why people obey authority figures. Whether wrong or right, the people that were used in the experiment were well to do ordinary people put in unlikely situations to see how they would respond to wrongdoings. At the end, many wanted someone to blame for their actions when they were questioned why they went along with it. However, this articles main idea is about we use heuristics incorrectly and limits of blame.
ReplyDeleteBrenda Luisjuan
ReplyDelete1) The essay that I have decided to use is “Opinions and Social Pressures” by Solomon E. Asch because it gives clear reasons on why people choose to change their answer in a group if there is social pressures. I also chose this essay because I’m familiar with the experiment and the results that were obtain because of my psychology class that discussed this same topic. The style of how the essay was written helped me further understand the experiment because at certain points there were question placed that followed with paragraphs answering that question. Lastly, I chose this article because it gave examples of the procedures and the different types of ways they tested the subject to see if the results would be valid.
Erick Soto-Sanchez
ReplyDeleteI am leaning towards critiquing Group Minds because it talked about how a person is an individual and is free to make their own decision and yet we try to be part of a group by virtually giving up our own opinion if it differs from the group because we want to fit in. When a person is alone they feel weird and lonely and look for a group of common interest that they fit into. WE are afraid to speak up when we disagree with the majority of the groups opinion at the fear of being kicked out of the group and being alone and you are driven to think similarly to everyone in the group.
Robert Moran
ReplyDeleteEach essay has something to offer, but for now i feel that i am leaning toward, "Authority and Excuses." At first, when i wrote my reading response i thought to myself that "Opinions and Social Pressure," because it states a lot of points on the subject of authority and groupthink. Yet after looking over "Authority and Excuses" i saw that the author makes even more points, using the term "heuristic" to explain each one them. He discusses how everyone uses heuristics, or thinking shortcuts that don't show the morality of their actions. In other words people do things they wouldn't do on a daily basis. This essay explains how everyone shortcuts their way through things in order to satisfy an authority figure. It gives ideal examples of how one thinks, such as how one would break the law if offered a large sum of money. I admire how this essay unlike the other ones, explains in detail the concept of blame; the question remains that who in reality should one blame for "wrongdoing." Do we blame the murderer for the death of a person? Or do we blame the one who sold the gun to this murderer? Or do we blame the ones who manufacture the guns? This essay explores how the human cognitive mind works, and why is it that we do certain things at pressure points.
Shawn
ReplyDeleteThe essay that I am leaning towards critiquing out of the selections is Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem. I am choosing this essay because I understand it the most and its a very detailed piece. The essay interests me which causes me to understand and decipher things I am uncertain about more willingly. The essay is interesting because it is thought provoking and it makes you think outside the norm and realize that disobedience is necessary in order to advance as a people
The reading I think to critique for my paper is “Authority and Excuses” by Alan Strudler and Danielle Warren. The reason I am thinking about critiquing this reading is because it emphasizes that following orders of a higher authority is not a justification for a wrongful actions a person commits. I also enjoy this reading because it states that if the individual is consciously aware that the wrongdoing will harm another person, then the individual is a malicious wrongdoer. If the individual is not aware that the wrongdoing will harm another person then they are still a wrongdoer, but it is not purposely a malicious act.
ReplyDeleteI am really leaning towards "Group Minds." This essay is very short and yet compacted with many ideas. However, It is very clear and and its form leads to a very stimulating conclusion. Lessing's conclusion can branch off to countless examples of how our society tends to be "group minded."
ReplyDeleteGustavo Diaz
I chose to write about “Opinions and Social Pressure” because is experiments if the person being tested would say the correct answer instead of going with the rest of the students choose the wrong answers. This can help connect the article with us because it shows that the person reading the experiment might have done something to that extent or felt a way that the person being tested was. By being able to connect to it, the writer feels a certain way in which he or she can express them and persuade the reader what to think.
ReplyDeleteEduardo
Gary Aragon
ReplyDeleteThe article that I might end up critiquing would be "The Perils of Obedience" because I feel that as I read the article, I was shocked to the results and what people actually did with the Milgram experiment. I find this article the most interesting from the readings. Everything that the article states is true and yet a great experiment that testes how the power of authority and if people would be willing in harming other people.
I will probably critique “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”. Just by glancing at this article I got a feeling I wouldn’t like it. However, as I read through it, it seemed pretty interesting because it gives detail. The examples, such as the Prometheus myth, Adam and Eve, student teacher relationship, and slave master relationship, all helped further understand the concepts the author has. The quote I liked was, “…human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be, terminated by an act of obedience.”
ReplyDelete-LiLi
I am leaning mostly to the article “Opinion and Social Pressure”, by Solomon because this article was very interesting to me and no where through the article did I feel bored. In this article the experiment they conducted was flawless. I have seen this happen to other people and myself as well. I guess I can relate to the subjects because it has happened to me before. The pressure put on by a group of people that have answered a question unanimously can get someone pretty confused especially if the last person answered the question right but the majority had a different answer. I thought the tactics they used were very clever and well developed. Many people say that this will not happen, but I disagree because it has happened to everyone in the past.
ReplyDelete-Ivan Lara
Erika
ReplyDeleteAs of now, I will critique the article titled "Authority and Excuses." This article seemed to really give a great amount of detail and examples as to why people will follow orders from what they perceive as authority figures. It also discusses what a supposed authority figure is and why that is. It seems to make excellent points that defends the idea that people are not fully to blame for certain actions if their orders came from some apparent superior. Even though I disagree with this thought to some degree, it convinces me that it does have some validity.