Essay on "Lucifer Effect"

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[EXCERPT] . . . .

Lucifer Effect

Most people who watch the news at night sit in awe of the cruelty of others. "How could he kill his boss?" "Why would a mother harm her children?" What is clear is that there is bad in the world -- and, of course, there is good as well -- but who are these bad people and were they ever good? Philip Zimbardo's work, the Lucifer Effect (2007), delves into precisely this topic. He notes that, "Lucifer, the 'light bearer,' was God's favorite angel until he challenged God's authority and was cast into Hell along with his band of fallen angels" (3). Thus we are led to consider the idea that the greatest evils are not executed by fanatics or what we would call "bad people," but rather by ordinary people who accepted an idea and participated in the idea while all the time believing that their actions were normal. One obvious example of this phenomenon might be the Nazis under Adolf Hitler who were brainwashed by his fundamentalist views that Jews were sub-human individuals. This paper will look at the Virginia Tech shootings in April of 2007, when a single gunman killed 32 students, staff and faculty, causing the deadliest shooting in U.S. history (Shapira & Jackman 2007) as well as the Stanley Milgram Experiment, creator of the electric "shock generator" used to test individuals' free will when it came to taking orders. What causes a person to walk onto a campus and go on a shooting/killing spree? Did Satan suddenly transform this young gunman? Will people hurt another if they are meant to believe that they are doing the right thing or if they are being told to do so by a superior?

The "Lucifer effect," according to Zimbardo (2007), can lead ordinary people to com

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mit unimaginable acts of violence and suffering of others. In considering the Virginia Tech shootings, it is believed that the gunman was initially looking for his girlfriend and that one of the first two people he shot may have been her (Hauser & O'Connnor 2007), but the gunman then went on to line students up in some classrooms and shoot them one by one (2007). In one classroom, the gunman came, left and then returned and the students were able to keep him by holding the door shut as the gunman fired shots through the door (2007). The scene sounds horrific. A single man with two handguns and not one ounce of morality or goodness left in him.

In Stanley Migram's experiment, Milgram wanted to find out how long someone (the 'teacher') would continue to give shocks to another individual ('learner-victim') if they are told to do so, even though the person could be seriously hurt (Stanley Milgram Experiment 2010). The experiment was designed to be a sort of response to the Nazi war criminals, who had claimed that they were 'just following orders' (Milgram Experiment Ethics 2010). Milgram was trying to find out whether or not people would really obey authority figures even when they knew that the instructions they were being given were not morally right.

Zimbardo (2007) posits that there are a variety of influences that cause people to do what they do. In… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Lucifer Effect" Assignment:

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The essay will be a 7-8 page (7 full pages minimum, PLUS a Works Cited page) Argumentative Synthesis based on the topic below. Your Argumentative Synthesis must incorporate The Lucifer Effect and at least three outside sources of your own research.

Your essay must include at least two quotes from The Lucifer Effect and at least two quotes from each of your THREE outside sources/ research (this does not include any of the provided websites or information though you can use them in addition to your own research).

Note that all research should be deemed reliable sources of information. Research may include: books, periodicals, materials from an online database, and reputable websites. Wikipedia is not a reliable source. Also, be cautious of the inclusion of *****.com***** in the URL of a website. Instead, try using the Library databases for research. Note that an MLA formatted Works Cited page listing all sources is required for this essay.

Please note that the essay is an Argumentative Synthesis. Please review the folders in Course Materials for details on writing an Argumentative Synthesis. Also, please be aware that personal opinion does not belong in an Argumentative Synthesis essay, as your claims should stem from and be supported by your sources. Therefore, the topic should provide you room for discussion and critical thinking. Too broad of a topic will not have an argument; too narrow of a claim will not be an effective argumentative essay.

Topic:

Banality of Evil: It is said that the great evils are generally not executed by fanatics or *****bad***** people, but rather by ordinary people who accepted a premise and participated with the view that their actions were normal. Discuss the banality (or normalcy) of evil in relation to the ideas in The Lucifer Effect and other situations. You should not include the Stanford Prison Experiment and Abu Ghraib, so please feel free to explore other, even historical examples.

Your essay should include:

At least 2 quotes from each of the FOUR sources (The Lucifer Effect + Three outside sources) used to support your points (a total of at least 8 quotes). The quotes should be used to support your own points, not to summarize a section of the source. The sources must be cited using correct MLA format, including a Works Cited page.

This essay should be written and formatted according to MLA guidelines, which includes:

ï‚§ Typed, double-spaced

ï‚§ 12-point font, Times New Roman

ï‚§ 1-inch margins on all sides

ï‚§ Your last name and page number in the right header

ï‚§ A unique title for your essay, centered at the top of the first page

ï‚§ Your first and last name, instructor*****'s last name, the course title (English 1A) and the essay due date should be placed in the top left of the first page.

ï‚§ In-text citations and a Works Cited page listing all sources.

Sources:

Eichmann in Jerusalem: *****A Report on the Banality of Evil*****, Hannah Arendt

Milgram Experiment

http://www.experiment-resources.com/stanley-milgram-experiment.html

http://www.experiment-resources.com/milgram-experiment-ethics.html

Virginia Tech Massacre

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/16/AR2007041600533.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/us/16cnd-shooting.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

*****

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1. Lucifer Effect. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/lucifer-effect-most-people/28210. Published 2010. Accessed October 5, 2024.

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