torture

Please address all premises directly with their corresponding number in order to limit confusion. 1. I believe breaking ones will goes and in hand with torture, therefore I propose this definition of torture: Torture is the intentional infliction of extreme physical suffering on some non consenting, defenseless, person for the purpose of breaking their will. This definition is quoted from the material handed out in class. 2. The purpose of torture is to gain valuable information by breaking the victims will leaving them no choice but to give up this valuable information in order to make the suffering stop. No information can be extracted without the will being broken therefore breaking the victims will is a necessary requirement for torture to successful. Torture has recently been brought into the spotlight due to the torture report released by the U.S Government. The U.S government has admitted the use of torture as a means of interrogation and the findings support my claim. The consensus opinion based on the facts within this report is that torture is not only ineffective but a stain on the moral conscience of our great country. Former prisoner of war, former presidential candidate and current state senator John Mccain weighed in on the morality of torture and after his first hand experiences he said "it (Torture) is not only wrong in principle and a stain on our country "s conscience, but also an ineffective and unreliable means of gathering intelligence." The report I am referring to also claims that torture in no way helped find Osama bin laden. There is proof, supported by the United States government that says torture is ineffective and unreliable as a means of gaining accurate information. 3. "Why does torture exist?" Torture originated hundreds of years ago with many different methods. I will list some of the original methods of torture. "The Brazen Bull" designed in ancient Greece a large solid piece of brass was was cast with a door on the side. The victim would be placed within the brass and it would then be placed over a fire and the victim would SLOWLY roasted to death unless information was gathered. "Crucifixion" Arguably the most famous form of torture where you would be nailed or tied to a wooden cross and left to die or confess. "Thumbscrew" A large vice like device used to immobilize body parts such as thumbs toes knees and even elbows. Once immobilized the torturer would literally screw through the victim"s body part until a confession was reached. As you can see torture originated as a very barbaric and horrific means of extracting information from a victim the usually resulted in death, even if you confessed. It seems to me that in order to break the will of another human being you must subject the victim to something worse than death. This is worse than simply killing someone because torture is slow, inhumane, and humiliating. . 4. In response to your question "Is this situation of torturing an alleged kidnapper minimally, morally acceptable?" the answer is NO, because torture is NEVER MINIMALLY MORALLY ACCEPTABLE. 5. Within our debate over the moral justification of torture you ask "Yes many non-organizations such as UN tries to make the world peace, but then, why are there protests, a racism, wars, bombings, terrorists, etc?". What exactly do you mean by this? Are you claiming torture is a positive solution to these problems? To Protests? To Racism? To Wars? To Bombings? To Terrorists? ETC? I do not believe torturing anyone will help end "protests, a racism, wars, bombings, terrorists, etc" 6. To claim torture is morally justified I believe you should first understand what happens to people who have been tortured. Torture is more than just a word but a horrific act of 1 human being destroying the will of another human being. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE MOST MORALLY JUSTIFIED FORM OF TORTURE? Keep in mind to successfully torture someone you must break a human beings will and to break the will of a human being you must subject them to something they fear more than death. If you disagree with my premise that to break someone"s will you must subject them to something they fear more than death explain why, and regardless include your morally justifiable form of torture. 7. People who are victims of torture are known to LIE. Victims of torture will tell their captors anything in order to make the pain stop. Torture is an ineffective way of gaining information. QUESTIONS What is a necessary condition of breaking someone"s will? I believe subjecting them to something worse than death is a necessary condition to breaking someone"s will. What do you believe is the most humane form of torture? If the person you torture claims to tell you the truth how do you know it is the truth? What situation do you believe torture is minimally morally acceptable? "Terrorists" threatening the united states? LINK TO REPORT SUMMARY http://www.washingtonpost.com...