E
Epiphany
Guest
I was going to start two different threads; one about the power of conformity and the other about the (in)justice of having one's fate determined by something so unreliable as a group decision, when people easily yield their own opinions to conform to the majority's; but this will suffice.
Social experiments have proven that people are willing to question their own judgement, conclusions and even vision when it differs from the crowd; even without the presence of a charismatic personality challenging them and feeding them persuasive rhetoric.
Keeping in mind that people are so easily swayed by social influences, is it fair to judge a defendant's innocence or guilt based upon it, when there is no hard evidence to convict them?
The Asch Conformity Experiment:
[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUC3d-Qu3KU"]Asch Conformity Experiment[/YOUTUBE]
Elevator Experiment:
[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC_JfCWYnTQ"]Elevator Experiment[/YOUTUBE]
Social experiments have proven that people are willing to question their own judgement, conclusions and even vision when it differs from the crowd; even without the presence of a charismatic personality challenging them and feeding them persuasive rhetoric.
Keeping in mind that people are so easily swayed by social influences, is it fair to judge a defendant's innocence or guilt based upon it, when there is no hard evidence to convict them?
The Asch Conformity Experiment:
[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUC3d-Qu3KU"]Asch Conformity Experiment[/YOUTUBE]
Elevator Experiment:
[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC_JfCWYnTQ"]Elevator Experiment[/YOUTUBE]