Law of the jungle

From PhiloWiki

Does "might make right"?

Christian views

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Secular views

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EchelonApproved

In a group-based model of social action, it could certainly be beneficial to behave as if power and moral authority are linked. That people obey the directives of those who they perceive to be in power over them was shown through the experiments of Stanley Milgram at Yale, published in 1963 (Wikipedia:Milgram experiment).

Even though most are uncomfortable with the concept that might (or, more appropriately, power) makes right, it is clearly evident in everyday human interaction. The whims of style and fashion are all about emulating those we see as more powerful or influential than us. Pop culture depends on in-crowds, out-crowds, and counter-cultures. Our identification with a group is driven by forces that are not widely studied or explained. We submit to the leadership of others because we obtain certain benefits and protections from our associations with a group.

N.B. Even leaders in a group submit to others. If they do not take the opinions and desires of the other members of the group into account they endanger their own status and risk losing social renown, which could prove detrimental to their own success if done too often. Therefore, the risk of a leader not leading according to the groups desires is not a risk that the leader should take lightly.