Why is it so hard to disobey?

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Why is it so hard to disobey?

Thanks for asking.

Picture this. Your boss asks you to do something that feels unfair or pointless. You disagree, but you go along with it anyway. It happens all the time. Most of us comply simply because we don't want to risk conflict or consequences. So why is saying no so difficult? Because obedience is baked into how society works. From childhood, we're taught to follow rules and respect authority. Parents, teachers, institutions. Without that baseline, social order would fall apart. But how far can that instinct go? In the 1960s, psychologist Stanley Milgram ran a now famous experiment. Participants were told to give electric shocks to someone who answered questions incorrectly. The shocks weren't real, but the participants didn't know that. So what happened? About 65% went all the way, delivering what they believed were potentially lethal shocks, just because an authority figure told them to continue. Nearly 80% kept going even after hearing screams of pain. The study raised a disturbing question. How can ordinary people commit harmful acts just by following orders? After World War II, some Nazi officials used that exact defence.

So why don't we push back more often?

Philosopher Frederick Gros argues that obeying is often the easiest path. Disobeying takes effort. You have to resist, argue, maybe face conflict. And there are real risks– losing a job, being excluded, facing punishment.

Is it just about avoiding trouble? Mostly yes, but there is something else. When orders come from above, we tend to shift responsibility. We tell ourselves we're just following orders, so the decision doesn't feel like ours. Thinkers like Hannah Arendt explore this idea with her concept of the banality of evil, how ordinary people can take part in harmful systems without questioning them. And Michele Foucault showed how institutions themselves shape and reinforce obedience. In other words, it's not just about personality, it's about context. So, is disobedience impossible? Not at all. History is full of people who broke the rules, whistleblowers, activists, resistance fighters. Think of Edward Snowden exposing mass surveillance in 2013, or Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat in 1955, sparking a major civil rights movement.

But these cases are rare because disobeying takes courage and willingness to face the consequences. There you have it.

Now you know why it's so hard to disobey. In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts, and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along, and you really will know for sure.

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