Rex Bloomstein
The Roots of Evil: Ordinary People, Part 2

Yes, well that’s a very interesting question. Again, much controversy about it, it’s been written about endlessly, it’s quoted endlessly. I suspect it’s of greater value possibly than the Stanford Prison Experiment. Milgram wrote extensively about it. He replicated the experiment in different countries to similar results, 50 to 60%. But there are ethical questions now because the people weren’t told, I mean, it was a pretence, but nevertheless, the realities are still so powerful that he captured and whatever the problems people have with them that are defenders and people opposed to it, I think it resonates with people and with certainly with me, that you know, people in authority have power. What do you do with that power? And there is a tendency in all of us to obey certain things. And then there’s the collision between our moral feelings and what we are being asked to do. And that’s a really interesting area. So the experiment is still remarkable. It has its detractors, but it has its supporters and I felt it was important to talk about it, thank you.

Yeah, well it depends on the level of violence or cruelty that was in the act of revenge. Revenge, it’s a subject that interests me. I think revenge in the end is a rather tragic pathway that often leads nowhere. It fulfils certain feelings at that time when you act out revenge. But I think to equate it is very difficult. An act of evil has been perpetrated upon you. What do you respond to? If you act as many do, with violence, then the law must step in, and that’s the whole point, isn’t it, of a lawful society, that when you are wronged, you go to the courts, that the law must judge, not you. But it’s also true that in places, in countries where there are very difficult conditions, where there’s no law, then the actor revenge in certain societies can become very important. And there’s no doubt about it that it does play an interesting social role in situations where there is very little law and control. So it’s again, a complex subject. Thanks for the question.

Well, two things. I mean, we’re living in a world now where democracy is under threat. I’m particularly worried about the US all over the world we’re seeing, what with Putin’s actions, I think it’s a very difficult one to come to terms with, how do we prevent it? And I think each society has to have scrutiny and accountability. It has to have an independent judiciary. It has to have freedom, you should be able to know what is happening in your society, when all these factors, when these are repressed, we’re in trouble. And we can see that around the world. So combating evil in an open society, is discussion, it’s accountability for actions and it’s education. It’s about human rights and it’s about building on that. I think these are the pathways we have to follow to combat evil. But evil is there, the potential is there. I think you’ve seen in Part One that it’s devastating when certain conditions, as you’ve heard Staub and others say, and then terrible things can happen. So accountability, scrutiny, and a society where we are more aware of the rights of others.