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# Hero or monster it all comes down to choices
- URL: https://katecarruthers.com/hero-or-monster-it-all-comes-down-to-choices/
- Published: 2009-12-01T20:56:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-01T03:52:09.000Z
- Author: Kate Carruthers
- Tags: ideas, communication, networked society, people, social networking, technology, web 2.0, #Migrated-1775015344493, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-04-01 14:49

This is a very thought provoking [TED talk](http://www.ted.com/talks/philip%5Fzimbardo%5Fon%5Fthe%5Fpsychology%5Fof%5Fevil.html?ref=katecarruthers.com) from Philip Zimbardo. He's famous for the 1971 [Stanford Prison Experiment](http://www.prisonexp.org/?ref=katecarruthers.com).

Think about how you would react in certain situations (e.g. Abu Ghraib) - how easy it is to act in ways you might regret later? Hero or villain it all comes down to choices.

The other interesting thing to consider is how the growth in communications devices and information sharing technologies makes hiding evil acts so much harder nowadays. The revelations from Abu Ghraib are an excellent example.

[http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf](http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf?ref=katecarruthers.com)