Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA23555 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 22 May 2002 13:10:45 +0100 Message-ID: <570E2BEE7BC5A34684EE5914FCFC368C10FCE9@fillan.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: The Experiment Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 12:40:27 +0100 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Filter-Info: UoS MailScan 0.1 [D 1] X-MailScanner: Found to be clean Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
<Been considering what I said. It is only in the last Century or so
that many
> people have had a say in their own lives. Not many had a choice or if they
> did it was limited. Now people can choose to say no. Do's that sound too
> simplistic?>
>
Well, perhaps, but if one could imagine such a programme in a
society that was a pre-modern democracy, I suppose they would have put
people in an environment where they had equal freedom, to see what would
happen. To some extent I think you're right, in that the context of
exploring how people behave in this programme is about arbitary inequality
in power and resources, which people aren't used to in a modern society like
ours- or rather not in such stark and obvious a way as prisoners and guards.
Absence of choice is quite problematic here for both groups- the guards are
struggling apparently because they appear to be uncomfortable with their
powers.
What I find interesting in the series is the absence of a third
strategy- non-compliance. The rebellious prisoners are pro-actively
undermining the guards. The guards could, but aren't, exercise authority
through punishments of rule breaking. But none of the prisoners have tried
the Ghandhi approach of peaceful non-compliance.
Vincent
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