Have you ever heard someone say “I don’t know what came over me” or “The devil made me do it”? Out of all the conversations we have had on this podcast, this movie is one that brings us closer to understanding a certain aspect of our human nature, which is; how we respond or are obedient to authority.

Experimenter takes us into Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiment and makes a convincing attempt to tie it to the Nuremberg trials. There is a part of this movie that questions the intent of the Nazi army that murdered millions of Jews; were they inherently wicked? or were they just experiencing another day at work, perhaps with a different task that required gassing people to death? Would it be okay to say that these soldiers, after a workday that involved murdering people would go home to their families, have dinner, and go to sleep?

Our conversation seeks to explore the scientific method adopted by Stanley Milgram to show our capacity to commit inhumane acts to our fellow human beings just because we want to stay obedient to an authority figure. This leaves the human race vulnerable to the kind of leadership that they have. There is no promise that any group, society, or community will be guaranteed good leadership, and this obedience experiment appears to be worrisome in the event of a bad or wicked leader, which is not new to our history.

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