Corpse-like obedience (, also translated as corpse obedience, cadaver obedience, cadaver-like obedience,
zombie-like obedience, slavish obedience, unquestioning obedience, absolute obedience or blind obedience) refers to an
obedience in which the obeying person submits unreservedly and passively to another's will, like a mindless, animated
cadaver
A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stud ...
.
Jesuit origin
The term originated with the
Jesuit
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, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
work by
Ignatius of Loyola from 1553, the Letter on Obedience.
It has also been dated to 1558.
That text said, in Latin: "" which can be translated as "We should be aware that each of those who live in obedience must allow himself to be led and guided by
Divine Providence
In theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is God's intervention in the Universe. The term ''Divine Providence'' (usually capitalized) is also used as a title of God. A distinction is usually made between "general providence", which ...
through the
Superior
Superior may refer to:
*Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind
Places
*Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state
*Lake ...
, as if he were a dead body". The concept, described in the Jesuit context as "fabled and misunderstood", has since been criticised by detractors of the Jesuit order as blind obedience. Jesuit supporters, in turn, refer to it as the "perfect obedience".
Modern use
The term is often associated with
Germany (where it is known as ), where it refers to "both obedience and loyalty until death" or simply "absolute obedience" or "blind obedience".
It has been associated with the discussion of German military and administration of the
Prussian and
Nazi eras and their passive adherence to carrying out orders, including those later judged to be
war crimes (see also
Prussian virtues,
German militarism
Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...
, ''
Befehlsnotstand
''Befehlsnotstand'' (English: Necessity (criminal law), Necessity to obey orders) is a German legal term that refers to a situation in which a certain action is ordered that violates law, but where the refusal to carry out such an order would lead ...
'', ''
Führerprinzip'', and
superior orders
Superior orders, also known as the Nuremberg defense or just following orders, is a plea in a court of law that a person, whether a member of the military, law enforcement, a firefighting force, or the civilian population, should not be considere ...
). The
Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service
The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Hitler Service (german: Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums, shortened to ''Berufsbeamtengesetz''), also known as Civil Service Law, Civil Service Restoration Act, and Law to Re-es ...
of 1933 has been credited with enforcing this idea in the Nazi German civil administration.