The Stanford Prison Experiment (Spe), which was carried out in August 1971, serves as a stark warning of the darker aspects of human behavior under authority; by giving college students roles as either guards or prisoners, the charismatic Philip Zimbardo’s idea aimed to investigate the psychological effects of power. The “guards” quickly turned into tyrants who abused their authority with frightening ease, while the “prisoners” gave up and died of hopelessness. It’s as if Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” came to life and revealed some unsettling facts about our nature.

When it comes to psychological study, Spe stands out because of the serious ethical problems it causes and the effects it has. Does the situation make us bad, or do we just find our hidden tendencies? This question has been asked many times throughout history, especially in light of events like the Attica Prison Riot, which reminds us...