A NEW DVD RELEASE

PHILIP ZIMBARDO AND DANIEL ELLSBERG IN CONVERSATION: PSYCHOLOGY AND THE NEW HEROISM

Philip Zimbardo is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University and creator of the well-known Stanford Prison Experiment. Daniel Ellsberg is a former analyst at the Rand Corporation and served in the Pentagon under Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. An author and political activist, he is best known as the whistleblower who released documents to the public which detailed the secrets and lies that shaped three decades of American foreign policy in Vietnam—documents which became known as the Pentagon Papers.

These two icons of progressive thought in America met for the first time to discuss a salient question for our times: Why are some people willing to take courageous nonviolent action in defense of ethical principles –even at personal risk to themselves? This video captures that conversation and calls for a new era of truth-telling or whistle blowing by citizens privy to crucial and often classified information that the public deserves to know. Zimbardo and Ellsberg also call for a new ethic of accountability by those leaders who govern the United States, its judiciary and its military.

They challenge ordinary people to do extraordinary things—to envision themselves as active and empowered and willing to take calculated risks in the service of their conscience and their fellow citizens. This defines the New Heroism. Students of psychology, sociology, political science, and recent United States history will find much to learn from this poignant and historic encounter.

A Production of the Berkeley Group Education Foundation