Journal: 3-2

Morality of Studying the Human Mind

     The question I asked last week was: What are some examples of revolutions and their outcome and effect on history? It turns out that I actually asked this question at a very appropriate time because during this past weekend, the president of Egypt stepped down, proving the revolution of the people in the country to be very affective. During my research, I looked up several revolutions such as the American Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, the French Revolution and the Mexican War of Independence just to name a few. It turns out that almost all revolutions in history were successful and were very similar to the revolution going on in Egypt.

     All of these revolutions consisted of people who felt like they were being suppressed by some kind of government which was unfair to the people, so they did something about it. It goes to show how affective the people of a country can really be when they are being repressed in order to stand up for their rights. All you need to start a revolution is alot of people who agree with your idea and want to make a change and you can actually make a successful change to the world.

     This week we talked about The Milgram experiment and The Asch experiment. The Milgram experiment tested a human's response to authority, even when they knew the authority figure might be wrong and whether they stood up to them or not. The Asch experiment tested how peer pressure affected the way certain people act and whether they conform o the group or not. We also talked about how these experiments, especially the Milgram experiment, could be seen as unethical treatment of humans.

     In my opinion, as long as an experiment doesn't physically hurt someone, I think it is ethical to test human minds in experiments like this. These kind of studies can help us understand the human mind and how human beings act in certain situations even if we might think differently. This can be beneficial to us so we can prevent certain things such as a repeatition of the Holocaust experienced in Germany which was a result of humans becoming evil by becoming suboordinate to wrong authority.

     The Asch experiment's concept can relate alot to what one experiences in highschool. In his experiement most people gave into peer pressure and went along with the rest of the group in order to not seem like an outcast. Unfortunately, alot of people follow what other people do in highschool, especially if it is doing something bad. It's suprising how many people are afraid to stand up for themselves and what they know is right just to gain a couple of friends in the process who aren't even a good influence on you. Highschool is yet further proof that supports the findings in the Asch experiment.

     I end today's blog with a question: What is another experiment that tests the human mind and had an interesting outcome?

Any Other. "What Does Ethics Mean to Sarah Palin?" Hypocrites and Heffalump Traps. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://threebrain.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-does-ethics-mean-to-sarah-palin.html>.

"List of Revolutions and Rebellions." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_revolutions_and_rebellions>.

"What Are Your Travel Ethics? | Verge Magazine: Volunteer Abroad, Work and Travel, Study Abroad." Verge Magazine: Travel with Purpose - Work Abroad, Volunteer Abroad, Study Abroad | Verge Magazine: Volunteer Abroad, Work and Travel, Study Abroad. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.vergemagazine.com/articles/40-departments/79-ethical-travel.html>.