Arguments Against Torture

Torture has been used for hundreds of years as ab effective, if not cruel way of extracting information from a prisoner. The use of these methods have been highly scrutinized by members of society. In this paper, I will break down arguments both for and against torture. This will be done firstly, by looking at several scientific studies on the effectiveness of torture. Next, I will look at several arguments both for and against torture from a standpoint of various philosophers throughout history. And finally, I will formulate my own reasoning as to why I believe torture should be used, albeit sparingly. I will do this by drawing from not only my personal beliefs, but the studies and views I will state in the first and second parts. To start …show more content…
Imagine a terrorist has planted a bomb somewhere on campus, the police have captured him, and they know that the bomb will explode in an hour if they cannot find it first. One option would be to persuade the terrorist to give up the location of the bomb, perhaps offering some sort of immunity or reward for doing so. What happens then if the man still does not give up the location? The police now are forced to make a moral decision; either break the law and torture the terrorist to get the information, or let the bomb go off, killing many innocent people. This is where the advocates for the use of torture would say that it is fair to use. In a true act utilitarian fashion, one would look at the situation and see that if the bomb were to go off, many innocent people would be killed. This would mean that the greater good in the situation is the preservation of innocent lives, not to say that the life or wellbeing of the terrorist is not a factor; it is that the suffering he feels will not trump the “happiness” that is produced by saving the innocents. This “diagram” could also be used for other situations as …show more content…
Many philosophers argue that this “ticking time bomb” scenario is facetious at best, and that the true moral argument against torture has to do with more. Interrogational torture is not the only variety of torture whose permissibility needs to be considered. Many philosophers believe that punitive torture in response to serious wrongdoing is sometimes morally permissible. However other varieties of torture, including scenarios of terroristic torture that is used to eliminate rivalry or dissent within the group, need to be considered in the formulation of a belief on torture. A utilitarian view against torture can be applied in this case, for example, Guantanamo Bay has seen more than 600 prisoners in its time, yet only a few dozen have produced information that is actually useful to the government. In this case, the suffering of the majority trumps the benefit brought to others. This view would mean that the use of torture, even in a way that might bring benefit to others, can be morally wrong and should not be