Human History - Disobidience

"Human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of obedience." In the article by Erich Fromm "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem" the author discusses the positive and negative aspects of obedience and disobedience. This article was comprised in the early nineteen sixties when the Cuban missile crisis was still fresh on Americas minds

According to Hebrew myth Adam and Eve started the human race with an act of disobedience. By "breaking the ties" with God, the human race was set free to make the choices and fend for himself. This first step of defiance according to Fromm, showed that human defiance was a way gain knowledge of love and reason. This defiance is again brought up in a Greek myth of Prometheus. By Prometheus saying "I would rather be chained to this rock then be the obedient servant of the gods." He ensured that humans are free thinking individuals that desire to understand rather than to be told. With these types of defiance humans have evolved intellectually and spiritually.

Fromm states that human existence started with an act of disobedience and it will likely end with an act od obedience

Throughout the article Fromm presents obedience