Experiments
An experiment is a procedure of a verifying
previously stated hypothesis. By carrying out experiments, we gain knowledge
about the world that surrounds us as well as the understanding of complicated
phenomena.
Manipulation with a particular
factor with the minimalized impact of other ones leads to a cause-and-effect
phenomenon. It means that a repeatable procedure is valid only when it is followed
by the logical analysis of
the results. Although the fact that without experiments being carried out, the world science
would be years, behind without any chance to develop, still there is a bone of
contention concerning the moral aspect of the presence of humans in these
procedures. These experiments are sometimes considered to be inhumane and
unethical; yet, many
scientists use this way of
gaining knowledge as practical tests are
much more reliable than theoretical hypotheses. Controversial ways create groundbreaking
discoveries! Let's take a look at some most notorious and appealing ones.
Stanford Prison Experiment
I can
bet that you have come across this experiment not only once. If not, an award-winning
movie based on this story 'Stanford Prison Experiment' is worth watching. It is not
considered a thriller for
nothing. A Stanford
professor, Dr. Philip Zimbardo, and his colleagues with the essential help of
local police created a simulated
jail. Volunteers chosen from mid-class were randomly divided into two groups:
prisoners and guards. The aim of this scientific study was to examine the source
of abusive behaviour in the prison system. No-one had ever expected
this turn of events. The experiment had to be prematurely ended when the things
got out
of control. Usual mid-class students with no psychopathic tendencies turned out
to be cruel guards, overwhelmed with their power sadists. On the other hand, the second group became
submissive victims with the real feeling of guilt.
Milgram experiment
Exactly 10 years before Zimbardo's study, a Yale University
professor Stanley Milgram, intrigued by how quickly common Germans became so
cruel in the time of II World War, conducted a social psychology experiment aiming to examine the
obedience to authority figures. The results were again world-shattering. This
study consisted of one volunteer and one actor pretending to be a volunteer.
The first one was meant to
become a "teacher", the second a "learner". The teacher was
supposed to ask the learner
questions. The subjects believed that for each wrong answer, the learner was
receiving actual shocks. In reality, there were no shocks. Subjects, against
their strongest moral imperative, were able to inflict pain just because they
were ordered to do so. Only among relatively small number of the subjects there was observed resistance to cruel behavior.
• Do you consider
the presence of volunteers in such experiments immoral?
• What can be the
effects of such experiments on the subjects' psyche?
• Is it right to
sacrifice a few
human’s lives
in order to improve lives of masses?
Sources:
About first experiment. I definitely will check that movie. There's are a lot of familiar faces and I've heard about the experiment before.
ReplyDeleteAbout second one. Recently (a year ago) I watched this movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxq4QtK3j0Y
More than 50% people could kill you, only if their ask to do that. It's terrible, but true.
" Hit him in a head with shovel. He will be alright, I promise " - such kind of experiment.
In times like these, in which we live. As much as we refuse to see that... you do not really know what you're capable of, until someone test you. Scary, isn't it?
I wouldn't blame the time, I think that it is natural for human beings.
DeleteTalking about cruelty of individuals after possession of power I fully recommend Joseph Conrad's book 'Heart of darkness' - at the first glance it looks like a usual descriptive story, but after deeper analysis you'll change your mind ;)
The movie "The Experiment" (2010) with Adrien Brody will be on Tuesday (22.12.2015) in Polsat channel. Check it out, if you are interested.
DeleteI am acquainted with each of these experiments. However I didn't know there is/will be a film about this (released in 2015).
ReplyDeleteThere was somewhere in the internet a full documentary about the Prison Experiment. I found only these created by BBC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYv3J12pARM
If someone wants to watch the film from 2015 it is "available" to watch on cda.pl (english sound, polish subtitles).
And "one" (or two) words about this experiment:
It's strange that humans (ours) psyche is so... strange. After a period of time they couldn't "remember", that they are actually not prisoners and prison officers.
I would like to see this experiment with people that are considering theyselfs as pacifists.
The Milgram experiment is somewhat different for me. They tested of course if people can do really bad things if there is a leader, but it shows even more. We trust some kind of people. For example if a doctor says to you: "this medicine will help you", would you say no? There it was similar. A specialist says "it won't kill him". Most people don't know much about electricity, why shouldn't they trust a specialist?
The definition show me of a volunteer is working for others for free. I don't know whether it is immoral. If person decides on such an experiment knows what he was doing. Any human individual has psyche can change dramatically,unfortunately but for worse. That is only my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I read title of this article I thought about Milgram Experiment. To be honest I didn't know just that it is called so. I always read with pleasure topics about experiments, although that two are nothing new to me.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I don't consider presence of volunteers in such experiments immoral just because they are volunteers. I can think so about the experiment itself.
Such experiments can effect subjects' psyche in almost every possible way, I think. If volunteer is "open minded" and experiment is being operated in a particular way, the result can be any. From destruction of our psyche to destruction of other people. Good example will be controversial Little Albert Experiment carried out by John B. Watson in. He took almost one-year-child, healthy (as he was thinking) orphan. He was showing to little Albert a white rat and hit metal rod with a hammer in the same time to cause in Albert a conditional emotional response of fear at the sight of the animal. Seven repetition was enough. After five-day-break conditional reaction survived and Little Albert to end of his short life (he died of hydrocephalus at the age of 6) was scared of everything that was similar to white rat (rabbit, dog, fur, wool, Santa Claus mask).
I have too little knowledge to say if results and benefits of such experiments are proportional or bigger to the damage they cause. I think that we propably don't even realize where such results are used nowadays (in medicide or psychology). But it doesn't change that the way that it's cruel. And people aren't often aware of real consequences of such experiments. Fairly would be, if people know exactly what experiment is about. But if they know, would the experiment have sense?
Each experiment which interferes with the human psyche is dangerous. This could affect his whole life. One of the result can be destruction of own awareness. I'm opposed to some experiments, that straddle the boundary of human morality.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think it is immoral. If the volunteer is declared for such an experiment, it means that he is fully aware of the risks it entails.
ReplyDeleteThe risk of such experiments may be different. However, I believe that they are dangerous and can have a big impact on the psyche of the subject in many ways. They can have a significant impact on his social life, disorder contacts with other people. Indirectly, through his behavior, they may also have an impact on others around him.
I think it depends on the seriousness of the case, in which the life would be sacrificed. If people who could be sacrificed, would be fully aware of this and would express his consent, and this act really helps humanity, yes, I think it is right to sacrifice a few lives.
Experiments, in somehow affecting the human psyche, in the later time affect the health.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am against experimenting on people.
However if somebody is reporting for experiment, he should know what await for later.
From my point of view, such experiments are unacceptable. Undeniably, they have a very negative impact on the human psyche.
ReplyDeleteExperiment in the Stanford Prison was immoral. I read about this experiment, the prisoners feel like a real prison from which there is no exit. They wanted to escape from there on the first day, but they couldn't. The experiment was supposed to last two weeks but was interrupted after 6 days due to the excessive cruelty of the prison guards.
Is such an experiment has scientific value? Probably so, but such experiments I consider as immoral. There should be no tolerance for such "scientific experiments".
I watched https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxq4QtK3j0Y prior to reading this post, and I share similar opinion, much thanks for the The Stanford Prison Experiment, to the movies-to-watch backlog! ;)
ReplyDeleteHuman experiments against the subject's will are absolutely unforgivable and must be forbidden. However, we must consider that science won't move forward without proper testing, and if a person consciuously decides to participate in a test, that's only up to them to decide. A good example for our times are clinical trials: in many countries it is illigal to release a drug without previously testing it on humans. The volunteers sign an agreement, in which all the possible side effects are listed, as well as the amount of money ther earn for it.
ReplyDeleteNo one said that results of those experiments were permanent, if scientists notice side effects they stop whole project. Some of them help understand human nature which leads to better understanding of mental disorders. If they are volunteers I don’t find it immoral they do that on their free will.
ReplyDeleteInteresting fact! If you saying about experiments, need to remember nazi medical experiments. It was awful of course, but thanks to their experiments medicine got a big bunch of knowledge. For example, almost everything that medicine know about hypothermia, was result of these experiments. After the war, these crimes were tried at what became known as the Doctors' Trial, and revulsion at the abuses perpetrated led to the development of the Nuremberg Code of medical ethics.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of experiment are really dangerous. For example Stanford Prison Experiment where guards starts to be really agressive and they start to fight, degrade, humiliate other participants of the experiment - it should be banned. If someone want to do some experiments on people he should start with himself.
ReplyDeleteWell I am not really familiar with experiments but it's interesting, I mean weird and interesting at the same time. About Stanford experiment it's like 'showing the true nature' of students there but also the guilt from the prisoners is so weird, how people can be 'manipulated' or feel the empathy with their 'roles'. I am really curious how I would behave at that kind of experiment - I think we all have the same feeling - I am not a psycho ! I wouldn't dare to hurt anyone else, right ? But We don't know how we would react. ;)
ReplyDeleteFor your question: I don't really think it's cruel - they agreeded in a first place, right ? They knew what they were up to.
I don't really know what would be the effects in somebody's psyche - it's like a black hole for me which I would like to fill with informations, because when I think about it - I think that this persion or will start behaving like that or he/she will have katharsis and will resist to that feeling in the future.
It's not right, it's not right to sacrifice animals in the name of greater future - because when future is built on a pile of corpses - it's not a so called greater future :)
I don't consider the presence of volunteers in such experiments immoral. They are volunteers, right?
ReplyDeleteThese experiments are very important, because they are helping to understand human nature.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhy would I consider the presence of volunteers in such experiments immoral? They knew what they're signing for, right?
ReplyDelete• What can be the effects of such experiments on the subjects' psyche?
I think the answer for that question should be delivered by the scientists, who performed these experiments. If you ask me, there's no unequivocal answer, in my opinion. Too many variables and individual cases.
• Is it right to sacrifice a few human’s lives in order to improve lives of masses?
Hard to answer, really. If survival of our race would depend on that, it wouldn't be right but it would be necessary.
If you're a volunteer for such an experiment you should probably be aware that something can go wrong. People differ a lot and many are hiding their nasty side deep in themselves behind a barrier of what we've been taught that is right. When due to a risky situation that barrier breaks, the real personalities show themselves - and deep in our hearts we're all aimed at surviving and the stronger one is the stronger it will show when our life is put to a risk.
ReplyDeleteI think it's never acceptable to sacrifice some people for the good of a bigger group, especially when the gain is just knowing the peoples' behaviours better. Maybe except for the situations, when a group would die to create a cure for something that would most probably kill the humanity.
Such experiments can probably change one's psyche, as they have the opportunity to learn their other 'faces', about which they often probably don't know at all. I know many people that claim they would never kill someone, killing's bad and stuff. But all kinds of sick behaviours are hidden somewhere deep in us and it's due to our interpretation to decide how we behave and who we are. Being ignorant makes us weak, as that bad side can show when we'll be put in some crazy situation. Being aware of all these sides gives a possibility to at least try to thing about some strange situations that could happen and lower the damage our counter-reaction could cause (that we wouldn't for example kill someone when they threatened us, but it's just a strong example).
If somebody decides on such an experiment then knows what he/she was doing. And I think it’s right to sacrifice a few human’s lives in order to improve lives of masses. It’s just more profitable. Of course, the experiments have a very negative impact on the human psyche. But those people are agree for experiments on themself so I don’t see the problem with it.
ReplyDeleteThey are volunteers so they are aware of what they doing so it's their decision.
ReplyDeleteIs it right to sacrifice a few human’s lives in order to improve lives of masses?
If people want to they are free to do that. But I think people who invented those experiments should take apart of it and sacrifice their lives not other people.
As long as no-one's put there against their will, you can't really call this "immoral". The effects on their psyche? Well, I thought that's part of what is being experimented with.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "sacrifice a few for the greater good", there's no easy way to answer that. It usually depends on whether you're the one to be sacrificed.
Once I heard something about "prison experiment," but I'm not sure if it is the same. The fact is that the results of these experiments are surprising me and wonder how people can well predict and manipulate the behavior of people. I do not think also that the participation of volunteers was something immoral, because these people are aware of what they agree. It's hard to tell whether it is worth the sacrifice a few people ... "sacrifice" is pretty awful word. Take the example of Zbigniew Religa - he condemned people to death, but gave them hope by taking some risks. The fact that some people died, but this man has made thousands of others live.
ReplyDelete