Humans Were Not Born With Morals
We acquire morals through our lives, through our experiences with the outside world. All that we were born with was our instinct to survive, no matter what. These thoughts were reaffirmed through
this experiment that was done in the summer of 1971. It was done at Stanford University.
It was a simulated prison. The psychologists at Stanford University had put an ad in the paper for volunteers willing to be part of an experiment. The volunteers were put through psychological tests and background tests to make sure that they didn't have any histories of drug abuse or bullying or things like that. Out of the original seventy or so, they ended up with twenty-four volunteers.
They flipped a coin or something, and half of those men became guards and half became prisoners. The experiment was originally intended to last two weeks, but they had to end it early because things were spiraling out of control.
The prisoners became prisoners. They got fully into their role. They ceased feeling like human beings, but like objects. A few of them broke down crying even, towards the end.
And the guards got completely into their rolls as well. Some inner thing, I think, was let out into the open for the first time. Everyone has their careful mask of civilization always on. But I think that without the regular outside stimulants, everything was lost. Everyone's mask was taken off and things reverted back to a Hobbesian way of life. BTW, as far as I know, Thomas Hobbes is no relation of mine. Although, anything is possible.
Look at what they had to sign. I think you'd have to be at least a little crazy to want to do this anyway. They only got $15 a day for this experiment, and most just wanted to leave instead of keeping the money.
posted by Val at 11/23/2001 12:48:00 PM
