Review: Obedience to Authority

Obedience to Authority by milgram-stanley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's foundational. There are a handful of key experiments that founded the field of social psychology, and this is one of them. The results are shocking and embedded into the cultural foundation of our times, they explain so much and demand even more.

This has been written compellingly, the scientific description of the experiments paired with more evocative excerpts from interviews. The numbers are bolstered by healthy descriptions that draw out the conclusions more strongly and more clearly. The explanations are, of course, a little old and do not incorporate the most cutting-edge models when it comes to the psychology of obedience. However, in broad strokes, this works really well.

(It is worth noting that some sections are a little dated, and one particular section is a little uncomfortable to read in the modern day because of the implications towards women.)

It is engaging, it is relevant, it is surprising. It is foundational.

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