And Perhaps Our Awareness Is The First

The Soldier Does Not Wish To Appear A Coward, Disloyal, Or Un-american. The Situation Has Been So Defined That He Can See Himself As Patriotic, Courageous, And Manly Only Through Compliance.

It Is Not So Much The Kind Of Person A Man Is As The Kind Of Situation In Which He Finds Himself That Determines How He Will Act.

Although A Person Acting Under Authority Performs Actions That Seem To Violate Standards Of Conscience, It Would Not Be True To Say That He Loses His Moral Sense. Instead, It Acquires A Radically Different Focus. He Does Not Respond With A Moral Sentiment To The Actions He Performs. Rather, His Moral Concern Now Shifts To A Consideration Of How Well He Is Living Up To The Expectations That The Authority Has Of Him.

The Disappearance Of A Sense Of Responsibility Is The Most Far-reaching Consequence Of Submission To Authority.

It Is Easy To Ignore Responsibility When One Is Only An Intermediate Link In A Chain Of Action.