Obedience Obedience copyright Terra Libra Holdings Duplication in any form is prohibited without the prior consent of the author.
Obedience is the root of much evil.
Fromm continues to say that in order to disobey we need courage, and the capacity for courage depends on our state of development. But without an appreciation of its role in shaping human action, a wide range of significant behavior cannot be understood. For an act carried out under command is, psychologically, of a profoundly different character than action which is spontaneous. The person who, with inner conviction, loathes stealing, killing, and assault may find himself performing these acts with relative ease when commanded by authority. Obedience, as a determinant of behavior, is of particular relevance to our time.