The Milgram Pass

Marseille, France, August 7th, 2021.

The Milgram Pass

The obligation of the "Health Pass" in France is worrying, all the more because the Belgians and Brits have refused it given its disproportionate and repressive nature. But, why then do two thirds of the French accept it and are ready to impose it on fellow citizens with disconcerting zeal? One possible explanation may be found in the experiments carried out in 1963 by the psychologist Stanley Milgram, who evaluated the degree of obedience of an individual confronted with an authority deemed legitimate. This experience analyzes the process of submission to authority, most notably when pertaining to actions involving problems of conscience, as in this case here. It demonstrates that 65% of subjects are ready to inflict the worst on their fellow human beings as long as they are ordered to do so.