Ethical Use Of Torture Essay
Ethical Issues Surrounding the Use of Torture by the United States
Torture, as defined in lecture, is the infliction of extreme pain and suffering on a victim that is both non-consenting and defenseless with the intention of forcing him or her to divulge information against their will (Moser and McDonald 2016a). By this definition, it is easy to see how policy makers would categorize the practices of waterboarding and other “enhanced interrogation methods” as torture, as they cause intense psychological and physical pain. Those who have experienced torture have described torture as, “a living death,” leading many to categorize torture as a fate worse than execution (Moser and McDonald 2016a). The use of torture is prohibited under international …show more content…
While this concept of moral permissibility in select circumstances is appealing in its vengefulness, it is categorically wrong. By analyzing torture using the utilitarian, virtue, and rights approaches to ethics, it is easy to see that torture is not, and should never be labeled as, ethically permissible, and the United States should never support or excuse such a heinous practice. While the utilitarian ethical framework is often used to justify the use of torture, a closer analysis reveals that, in a realistic societal context, utilitarianism actually shows the necessity of a total prohibition of torture. A simple definition of utilitarianism describes it as a, “moral principle that holds that the morally right course of action in any situation is the one that produces the greatest balance of benefits over harms for everyone affected,” (Velasquez et al. 1989). Many who look at such an ethical framework would conclude that torturing one individual so save many is a clearly ethical decision, as Charles Krauthammer illustrates in his article, “The Truth about Torture,” (Krauthammer 2005). The most common illustration of this conclusion comes from the classic “ticking time bomb” scenario. In this abstracted scenario, a bomb has
Torture, as defined in lecture, is the infliction of extreme pain and suffering on a victim that is both non-consenting and defenseless with the intention of forcing him or her to divulge information against their will (Moser and McDonald 2016a). By this definition, it is easy to see how policy makers would categorize the practices of waterboarding and other “enhanced interrogation methods” as torture, as they cause intense psychological and physical pain. Those who have experienced torture have described torture as, “a living death,” leading many to categorize torture as a fate worse than execution (Moser and McDonald 2016a). The use of torture is prohibited under international …show more content…
While this concept of moral permissibility in select circumstances is appealing in its vengefulness, it is categorically wrong. By analyzing torture using the utilitarian, virtue, and rights approaches to ethics, it is easy to see that torture is not, and should never be labeled as, ethically permissible, and the United States should never support or excuse such a heinous practice. While the utilitarian ethical framework is often used to justify the use of torture, a closer analysis reveals that, in a realistic societal context, utilitarianism actually shows the necessity of a total prohibition of torture. A simple definition of utilitarianism describes it as a, “moral principle that holds that the morally right course of action in any situation is the one that produces the greatest balance of benefits over harms for everyone affected,” (Velasquez et al. 1989). Many who look at such an ethical framework would conclude that torturing one individual so save many is a clearly ethical decision, as Charles Krauthammer illustrates in his article, “The Truth about Torture,” (Krauthammer 2005). The most common illustration of this conclusion comes from the classic “ticking time bomb” scenario. In this abstracted scenario, a bomb has