The Stanford Prison Experiment is a famous example of how situational effects can make good people do evil things. Some average middle-class university students were given roles as either prisoners or guards in a mock-prison. These normal people quickly transform into monsters. I knew little about the experiment before reading this book, and was interested to find out more. I soon discovered a fascinating, eye-opening and shocking story.
The book contained a gripping story of the experiment itself. I was intrigued and wanted to find out how the experiment developed, since the book simply tells the story, hinting at the messages we can take from it, thus allowing the reader to think it through. However, the book then became wordy and long-winded, exploring various real-life case studies such as Abu Ghraib and other psychological experiments in order to extract social and political messages and lessons. The result is half a book saying in every possible way 'Bad situations make good people do bad things'. It is a very interesting and important book, but unnecessarily drawn-out.
The book had some dodgy ethical philosophy when referring to absolute and relative ethics, but it was mostly on the right lines.
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