Post 7

Sam Harris does have a valid point. It seems to me that the basis of his argument is that the Koran, and moreso the hadiths control Muslims lives. I'm not sure if incorporating Obedience to Authority is allowed. Granted, I know it will be subject to criticism. However, I think Harris' view of Muslims and the Koran is indeed a similar view that Stanley Milgram would have held. Both the followers of the Koran and the subjects in Milgram's experiments are obedient to a higher power. Muslims serve God as the Koran tells them. And just so, the subjects in Milgrams experiments follow the orders of the experimenter.

Sam Harris wrote on page 123, "On almost every page, the Koran instructs observant Muslims to despise non-believers." Of course, in the majority of cases they do so. Through similar quotes to this, other portions taken from the Koran, and the surveys held it is understood that most Muslims believe this. Some even go to the extent of destroying non-believers. The Koran is overpowering. What Sam Harris is saying, whether he is right or wrong, is that the Koran consumes the minds of Muslims, and therefore they are dangerous.

Milgram, too, believed people were subject to being obedient to authority figures. The men in labcoats that were paid actors made the subjects feel like there was something very serious and real going on and that they were powerless in the hands of the professionals. His experiments proved this theory. Of course, there was a smaller percentage of subjects that didn't participate to the fullest extent. However, the majority did go to extremes when shocking the the persons answering the questions.

These different levels of authority are definitely reflected by both Harris and Milgram. Harris shows in the survey that there is a percentage of people who believe suicide bombing in self defense is going to far. Milgram gives tables and charts of the numbers of people who did and didn't obey and to what extent they obeyed. He even interviewed some of them to see what their motives were. Obviously, both Harris and Milgram want people to perceive their conclusions as true so the studies are skewed to their viewpoint. But, there is definitely significant substantial data given by both authors.