12/11/2023 0 Comments Discover bible study obedience leaders![]() Foucault ( 1980) used sexuality and the church as an example of power-knowledge stating that between the 17th and 20th century, the church produced knowledge of individuals’ sexual desires through confessions. That is, knowledge is always an exercise of power and power is always a function of knowledge. With a background in both philosophy and psychology, Foucault was a respected researcher and claimed that power and knowledge should not be treated as two separate entities but are in-fact related. Michel Foucault is considered one of the most influential researchers regarding this phenomenon. The fundamental explanation is power-knowledge. Without empirical evidence or data to examine, the question that once again derives is why was this propaganda published in academic books and journals of the time? Whilst some papers identify obedience to authority as being an essential cog for a healthy functional society (Tuttle, 1943 Wilson, 1911) others deem it imperative for successful winning sports teams (Gettell, 1917). Before this, many recorded documents that can be accessed provide somewhat romantic philosophical notions of the benefits of obeying authority. It was from then, that psychology became the dominant discipline when examining obedience to authority. The first psychology laboratory was established in 1879 at Leipzig University. With present-day examples of disobeying authority such as infringement of government guidelines regarding COVID-19, this area is more pertinent than ever. However, the reasons as to why this area of research has been investigated differ, and therefore the conclusions ought to be inferred with caution. Obedience to authority has been adopted by the psychological community as a popular topic of research interest. A crucial issue is that many researchers presume that present day methods are the best way to improve knowledge highlighting they are not exempt from cognitive dissonance. People have attempted to increase understanding of the world for over two thousand years however, their methods alter significantly. ![]() Khun ( 1962) suggested this was because scientists work within a rigid framework whereby researchers share values and beliefs, or paradigms, and described this as ‘normal science’. Just as Marxists were stunned at the thought of a world where their political beliefs would not remain constant, the same can be said for research methodologies. This not only shapes how the world is perceived but the ways in which researchers attempt to gain further understanding. This could be an example of the occurrence of cognitive dissonance, that may decelerate intellectual progression. Questioning what type of event would have to occur to alter their political and economic thoughts, stunned silence was received. Philosopher Imre Lakatos (Lakatos & Feyerabend, 1999) once reminisced on challenging Marxists on their strong views. This comes in a time where many reject the science of critical world issues such as COVID-19 and climate change. However, adopting a critical mind as to who is conducting the research and the wider implications of who it serves and who it does not serve, would be beneficial for academia and wider society. Therefore, considering the General Demarcation Problem, it is difficult to distinguish between science and pseudoscience, given all researchers will consider the research they conduct in the present day to be the correct way of doing so. Although researchers like Piaget and Milgram appear to be more integral researchers, Piaget like many utilised observational methods that lack replicability, and Milgram’s family history with the events of the Holocaust pose additional issues. With published work from US President Woodrow Wilson proposing obeying authority is necessary to functional societies and the Vatican displaying power-knowledge when censoring heliocentric views, it seems some researchers have ulterior motives. However, when investigating the history of research into obedience to authority, propaganda and power-knowledge are present as well as emotional ties that affect the motives and methods of investigating these areas. Researchers claim impartiality when conducting research and suggest their motives are to improve knowledge.
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