The limit of authority and obedience in the context of the milgram experiment

The present study examines the relationship between authority and obedience within the framework of the Milgram Experiment, analysing the ethical context established by the individual's conscience, empathy, and capacity for thought within the boundaries of authority and obedience. The historical background of the experiment has been evaluated as a small-scale simulation of the inhumane crimes committed after the Second World War; it has been revealed that the individual's position in relation to authority is shaped by loneliness, powerlessness, and the need for belonging. The concept of authority took its current form in light of capital-centred transformations in the 18th century and beyond, and has been examined within the framework of the father image from a psychoanalytic perspective. It has been argued that, parallel to the transformation of the father image, the secular modern world has given rise to new forms of unconditional obedience. The dulling of conscience arises as a result of individuals facing cognitive dissonance and ideological manipulation in their moral decision-making processes; this situation leads to a weakening of the sense of responsibility at both the individual and societal levels. Bureaucratic obedience, discussed in the context of the Eichmann example, has been reinterpreted within the framework of Weber's thesis entitled 'The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'; interpretations of the process of conscience dysfunction have been provided using concepts such as moral alienation and doublethink. The capitalist system, while glorifying work as one of its moral norms, imposes blind obedience to work, rendering the moral quality of actions and decisions unquestionable. The tendency for individuals to view themselves as morally superior functions as a strategy for coping with feelings of inferiority; however, these attitudes weaken empathy and critical questioning mechanisms, thereby enabling the emergence of evil through a lack of thought. In this context, the lack of thought takes on a collective dimension, paving the way for the structural transformation defined as the McDonaldisation of society. Strengthening conscience in a pedagogical form plays a critical role in enabling ethical transformation at both the individual and public levels. In this context, the ideal of becoming a democratic individual, turning towards qualitative values, and constructing an awareness of the other are proposed as a deterrent ethical ground for preventing inhuman crimes.