The Milgram Comparison

I believe that Raz’s idea of obedience to the law is not completely comparable to that in the Milgram Experiment. While the concept is somewhat similar, I think the adherence to the law as authority because of its correlation with right reason is what separates it from the above example. The Milgram Experiment preyed on the obedience to the mere appearance of authority. Raz believes that right reason is what guides people’s decisions, and the law is simply a more complete and accurate extension of this. The law is not followed simply because it is a command, it is respected because we recognize its status according to logic. It is for this reason that people give the law such a dominant role of ultimate authority. If laws were completely unintelligible or unjustified, I have no doubt that they would be ignored. Disobedience during the civil rights movement is a great example. Many individuals of both races saw the mistreatment of African-Americans through bussing laws, and separate but equal as being in contrast with right reason and thus acted against them. This is also the way in which legal rules are changed, as is apparent in the Civil Rights Acts of throughout US history, especially in the ‘60s.