Torture: Laws of War and High Level- Terrorist
Torture
“To torture or not to torture” – the main topic in debate between Charles Krauthammer and Andrew Sullivan is whether torture should be permissible under certain circumstances or never at all. The debate of torture between Krauthammer and Sullivan began three years after the Bush administration defined “torture” in the narrowest terms – the permitted coercive, physical abuse of enemy combatants if the military necessity demands it. (317) Krauthammer discusses extreme situations that make the use of torture seem less morally unethical and almost acceptable; however, his examples are just hypothetical situations. When I weigh his scenarios against reality and think about how much torture can really affect a person’s life, Krauthammer’s make-believe stories have no weight and do not sway my opinion one bit. On the other hand, Sullivan makes a strong point that I completely agree with. We are all humans, but allowing torture to be permissible would only lead to people treating others in a manner less than any human would ever deserve.
In The Truth About Torture, Charles Krauthammer writes, “Torture is not always impermissible. However rare the cases, there are circumstances in which, by any rational moral calculus, torture not only would be permissible but would be required (to acquire life-saving information).” (309) Krauthammer discusses two scenarios where he believes torture should be permitted: “the ticking time bomb and the slower-fuse high level- terrorist”. (313) The ticking time bomb is a situation where hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives are at stake, with little to no time, all dependent on a crucial piece of information that can help mitigate the situation. The slower-fuse high level terrorist is when a person who is second-in-command of a terrorist cell is captured and has vital information that can bring down an entire enemy’s organization with one swift blow. In both of these scenarios, Krauthammer displays one common
“To torture or not to torture” – the main topic in debate between Charles Krauthammer and Andrew Sullivan is whether torture should be permissible under certain circumstances or never at all. The debate of torture between Krauthammer and Sullivan began three years after the Bush administration defined “torture” in the narrowest terms – the permitted coercive, physical abuse of enemy combatants if the military necessity demands it. (317) Krauthammer discusses extreme situations that make the use of torture seem less morally unethical and almost acceptable; however, his examples are just hypothetical situations. When I weigh his scenarios against reality and think about how much torture can really affect a person’s life, Krauthammer’s make-believe stories have no weight and do not sway my opinion one bit. On the other hand, Sullivan makes a strong point that I completely agree with. We are all humans, but allowing torture to be permissible would only lead to people treating others in a manner less than any human would ever deserve.
In The Truth About Torture, Charles Krauthammer writes, “Torture is not always impermissible. However rare the cases, there are circumstances in which, by any rational moral calculus, torture not only would be permissible but would be required (to acquire life-saving information).” (309) Krauthammer discusses two scenarios where he believes torture should be permitted: “the ticking time bomb and the slower-fuse high level- terrorist”. (313) The ticking time bomb is a situation where hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives are at stake, with little to no time, all dependent on a crucial piece of information that can help mitigate the situation. The slower-fuse high level terrorist is when a person who is second-in-command of a terrorist cell is captured and has vital information that can bring down an entire enemy’s organization with one swift blow. In both of these scenarios, Krauthammer displays one common