Very well said, I would of liked to hear more about that as well

In reply to this comment by SDGundamX:
I'm amazed that no one's pointed out yet that the whole "Satan as a fallen angel" story is actually popular fiction mostly taken from Dante's "Inferno" and Milton's "Paradise Lost." It has very little Biblical basis, though people who want to believe the legend often twist interpretations of certain verses in the Bible (2 Cor. 4:4) to make it fit.

I think it's too bad they got caught up in this faux-theological debate, because Zimbardo's and Milgram's experiments clearly show that "evil" is something we are all capable of under the right conditions. I think if they had talked more about that, Colbert and Zimbardo would have agreed that determining whether the authority that you're obeying is acting ethically or not is extremely difficult when you're forced to make on-the-spot decisions. Like Zimbardo said, you need to be critical of why you're doing what you're ordered or expected to do. Otherwise you may wind up engaging in behaviors that seem rational at the time but in hindsight turn out to have horrific consequences.

I'm amazed that no one's pointed out yet that the whole "Satan as a fallen angel" story is actually popular fiction mostly taken from Dante's "Inferno" and Milton's "Paradise Lost." It has very little Biblical basis, though people who want to believe the legend often twist interpretations of certain verses in the Bible (2 Cor. 4:4) to make it fit.

I think it's too bad they got caught up in this faux-theological debate, because Zimbardo's and Milgram's experiments clearly show that "evil" is something we are all capable of under the right conditions. I think if they had talked more about that, Colbert and Zimbardo would have agreed that determining whether the authority that you're obeying is acting ethically or not is extremely difficult when you're forced to make on-the-spot decisions. Like Zimbardo said, you need to be critical of why you're doing what you're ordered or expected to do. Otherwise you may wind up engaging in behaviors that seem rational at the time but in hindsight turn out to have horrific consequences.

For those of us who can view CC content, and because this is dead at the moment, view it here: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=149094&title=interview-philip-zimbardo

He knows nothing about psychology. I do. I do. Doctor Zimbardo is so glib.

This guy sounds like he got all his material from C.S. Lewis.

Lucifer fell before Adam was created. God knew that Lucifer would tempt Adam and Eve; it was part of the plan. God is omnipotent and knows that without evil there can be no good and no progression. If God made a mistake he would cease to be God.

Dr. Zimbardo conducted one of the most well known experiments in psychology, and it's extremely unfortunate that to this day we are still failing to fully grasp the implications of his groundbreaking research. I realize that there has been some recent research that has cast doubt on the broad conclusions of his study, but I think his basic thesis is still valid. I'm guessing Dr. Milgram would agree with that.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'sunday school, colbert report, god, devil, social pressure' to 'sunday school, colbert report, god, devil, social pressure, zimbardo' - edited by kronosposeidon

There was a dramatization of the Milgram experiment on US tv in 1975 called "The Tenth Level" starring William Shatner.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075320/

Very disturbing, most people will do whatever they are told by an authority figure - doctor, lawyer, cop, politician, military officer - even though they know it's immoral / illegal / murderous / genocidal.

Also interesting is "The Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted by Dr. Phillip Zimbardo in 1971.

The background:

The manager of a McDonalds receives a call from a man who claims to be a policeman investigating a criminal complaint against an employee. She calls the teenager into the office, initiates a search, then gets her to strip completely, all on the behest of the man on the phone -- who is not, of course, a cop, and who has conned dozens of fast food outlets. At least 13 of the dozens of people called initiated similar strip searches, and 7 have been convicted.

From the ABC PrimeTime summary:

"Clinical psychologist Jeff Gardere says the caller's actions were likely a way to feed a God-like complex by manipulating his victims emotionally, physically and sexually. He calls it "virtual voyeurism."

Gardere goes on to say that it was no accident that caller was targeting fast food restaurants.

"Everything is by the book," he explained. "This is how you serve it. This is exactly how you do it. You follow the book -- you're OK. I believe he picked fast food restaurants because he knew, once you got them away from that book, once it was something outside the manual or the procedures, they would be lost."

Detailed Louisville Courier-Journal story, with references to the infamous Milgram study and Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment.

Wikipedia

The heated MetaFilter thread from 2005.

Milgram on VideoSift

The Stanford Prison Experiment on VideoSift