Fromm And Disobedience

In his essay “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” Erich Fromm states that human history can change forever by just an act of disobedience. Fromm starts off by stating how people in power have always professed that those below them should obey rather than disobey. Fromm writes about how key ancient figures like Prometheus and Adam and Eve acted out in disobedience. Fromm also states that these figures didn’t regret their decisions nor did they ask for forgiveness. Fromm further claims that man has continuously changed due to the way man has continued to say no to their overlords. Fromm continues by saying because of the way man has disobeyed, it has led to them becoming smarter by challenging those that have tried to hinder change. Fromm argues that if the ending of man can be by an act of obedience. Fromm continues this by stating that our leaders greed will persuade someone to do bad things and if that man obeys it could lead to the extinction of the human race. Fromm clarifies more about obedience and disobedience be stating that a slave can only obey, but a man who disobeys because of anger is not a revolutionary but a rebel. Fromm continues to clarify that if a man does not listen to his own morality in compliance to an order then he is being obedient, but if a man acts by his own accord to follow an
Nisbett, some of these people may just be using the situation to be bad. I feel that a lot of those stories about the American soldiers were just people taking advantage of the situation to feel like the authority in the scenario. Although, these people may also just be people who have the authoritarian conscience, and are just afraid of disappointing their overlords. According to Ross and Nisbett, you can’t really predict these actions even if those people were expected to do the