Summary Of 'Think For Yourself: The Danger Of Blind Obedience'

In the article entitled “Think for Yourself: The Danger of Blind Obedience,” Michael Hess discusses the tendency that people have to follow rules without thinking of the implications of their actions – or inaction. Particularly, Hess discusses this type of conformity within the confines of business settings. He uses an example of an emergency dispatcher, who’s employer prohibited her from performing CPR or offering similar help to those in need. She denied help to a woman who had stopped breathing, merely because of this restrictive policy. In this article, Hess addresses why this blind obedience is detrimental, and the three main reasons people conform to it. This directly relates to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s idea of blind obedience in the
He talked about blind obedience, but in the context of society as a whole, rather than merely business. He asserted that people have “such a dereliction of all faith and virtue, such a denial of justice and such deafness to screams for mercy” (Emerson’s Antislavery Writings 3). Even in the face of extreme injustice, people will abandon their moral principles and conform to the rules of society. His main example that runs throughout many of his texts is that of slavery. Emerson claims that every man knows in their heart that slavery is wrong, but they conform to the ‘norm’ (the ‘norm’ being the actions and thoughts of the majority), even if it contradicts with their own opinions of what is right and wrong. He explains that this problem is caused by the fact “that no one feels himself called to act for man, but only as a fraction of a man” (Man the Reformer 3). Essentially, people act in morally reprehensible ways because they do not feel responsible for their actions. Relating back to Michael Hess’ article, the rules that a company gives its employees causes them to feel less responsible for their actions. The dispatcher who essentially let someone die by failing to administer CPR most likely lacked this feeling of moral responsibility, because she knew she could blame her actions on the company that she worked for. She knew that she would not be held responsible. According to Emerson, this type of behavior “requires of the practitioner a certain shutting of the eyes, a certain dapperness and compliance, an acceptance of customs, a sequestration from the sentiments of generosity and love, a compromise of private opinion and lofty integrity” (Man the Reformer 3). Blind obedience can only exist if people place rules and customs above their own sense of morality. People place much more trust in the thoughts and actions of the majority, rather than their own opinions. Blind