The Pros And Cons Of Torture

The question if torture can be morally justified can be addressed from a deontological (Kantian) perspective, it is arguable that torture is cruel, violent and degrading and, because of these features, morally wrong. The Kantian perspective highlights that the violation of human dignity and the disrespect of the victims’ follows from torture as he says in his quote that
“there can be no disgraceful punishments that dishonor humanity itself; such as quartering a man, having him torn by dogs, cutting off his nose and ears.) Not only are such punishments more painful than loss of possessions and life to one who loves honor they also ma*e a spectator blush with shame at belonging to the species that can be treated this way”
Kantians believe that you should never treat …show more content…
For example, if someone’s child has been killed the parent must not take personal revenge on the guilty person as this means that the parent is using the killer to their own goal. Kant also considers that each individual has the fundamental right to be treated respectfully by others, therefore, torture cannot be morally justified. Kant's morality has nothing to do with intentions like kindness per se, but more to do with the second formulation of the categorical imperative that is "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end and never merely as a means to an end." So torturing a person for some information or for some other means would not be permitted. Kant also believes that torture leads to the self-betrayal of the victim because it forces them into the position of fighting against himself through his own affects and emotions, therefore, feeling simultaneously powerless and yet actively complicit in his own violation. This type of punishment goes beyond the simple violation of the victums’ dignity and perverys it in a an incomparable way