Disobedience Analysis

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“Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” “Obedience is a virtue and disobedience is a vice.” This idea has always been an ultimate moral standard for the human race from the beginning of age. Parents raise their children, from childhood, to believe that obedience is good and disobedience is bad. As the children grow older, institutions such as schools, religions, and relationships with other people in society compel them to obey certain rules and regulations. Obedience to the authority, therefore, is considered as moral; it is widely accepted and encouraged in many societies worldwide. Erich Fromm, however, in his literary article “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” presents a distinguished view of obedience as opposed to disobedience in society. He was an outstanding writer and thinker in the twentieth century. Writing this article in the tension and fear of nuclear annihilation after the missile crisis, Fromm claims that both obedience and disobedience have their negative and positive aspects depending on the circumstances, and at times, disobedience can be justified whereas obedience can be immoral. The argument made by Fromm in this article appears to be persuasive and logical, for he provides several convincible reasons and stories to uphold his idea that most people’s obedience to the wrong authority may cause harm to others and disobedience, on the other hand, is actually beneficial to the furtherance of human race. Fromm’s literary article mainly analyzes the concepts of obedience and disobedience as well as their effects on humanity. He also argues that human evolution would come to an end without achieving freedoms through the acts of disobedience. In the first paragraph of this article, Fromm states that disobedience requires the courage to be alone against authority and the courage to bring freedom; it is what started the
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