Torture option.

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
It is the ticking bomb scenario.



Would you approve of a less evil to prevent greater evil?



Would you approve of the torture of a Qaeda member to take place, to prevent the death of thousands innocent civilians?



This link might help set you into the mood for an answer: <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/17/60minutes/main324751.shtml"; target="_blank">Dershowitz: Make Torture an Option</a>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    I am against torture. But if it was the only solution to save the life of my childrens and my wife : i do not know what i will do. However i wish to never know the answer of this question. End of discussion
  • Reply 2 of 5
    cdhostagecdhostage Posts: 1,038member
    I think it would arouse the ire of the Afghans and all the other Muslims. Never mind international opinion of the Americans as those who torture.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    No torture.



    Here's what you do:



    You bring in a 6'7" serial killer rapist locked up in your roughest prison and have him sit across the table.



    You say, "You tell us how to stop the attack or this guy is your new roomate for the rest of your life. We'll make sure you keep alive, too, but the guards don't visit your area very often."



    Lock him in the general population, tell everyone what he did and threaten everyone with 10 years if they kill him. You want him alive for a long long time in there.



    Allah goes out the window real quick.



  • Reply 4 of 5
    jrcjrc Posts: 817member
    [quote]Originally posted by jakkorz:

    <strong>It is the ticking bomb scenario.



    Would you approve of a less evil to prevent greater evil?



    Would you approve of the torture of a Qaeda member to take place, to prevent the death of thousands innocent civilians?



    This link might help set you into the mood for an answer: <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/17/60minutes/main324751.shtml"; target="_blank">Dershowitz: Make Torture an Option</a></strong><hr></blockquote>



    Yes, I would support torture of Al Queda.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    In principle I'm against any sort of sort of torture. Having said that I'm not sure that there is a clear definition of torture. Obviously thumb screws and the like are torture, as are violent shaking and sensory deprivation. But what about all night question sessions with lots of yelling. That seems reasonable to me, although unpleasant. What about a truth serum? So a line needs to be drawn.



    Secondly, like Powerdoc, I can't say what I might do in an actual situation like he described. I too hope that would never happen.



    Finally, the ends does not justify the means. As Americans we stand for something (or I like to think that we do), which in a nutshell, is that we believe all humans have basic rights, one of which is the right not to be tortured. If we compromise these principles, then we lose sight of who we are as Americans.



    Theory is easy. Practice is difficult.
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