The Argument Against Torture

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the use of torture in modern Western society, and the allegations of its use by U.S. military and law enforcement officers, when it is prohibited by Constitutional law. The author gives the 1970 Stanford Prison Experiment as an example that the purposeful infliction of pain and humiliation in others utterly without cause brings out some of the worst unconscious human tendencies. Further, it can be argued that in all cases of criminal activity except crime where torture was inflicted, the punishment is worse than the crime. Torture may even be counterproductive, as innocent individuals often give false information to avoid it, and the fanatically religious suspects involved in terrorism are least likely to be affected by it. The paper concludes that ultimately, torture is therefore likely to remain fundamentally incompatible with Western moral values.

Outline:
Introduction
Punishment and Deterrence
Investigative

From the Paper:

"Much more recently, professor Zimbardo was called upon to investigate the disturbing allegations of torture inflicted on prisoners of U.S. armed forces at Abu Ghraib Detention Facility in Iraq and at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility in Cuba. All three examples of unauthorized abuse and torture demonstrate the extent to which the authorized use of torture is susceptible to influences wholly outside the realm of objective justification. The principal problem is that human societies differ so substantially in their values that it is virtually impossible to justify such an extreme punishment in one society objectively for conduct that is perfectly permissible in others."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dershowitz, A. (2002) Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge. New Haven: Yale University Press
• Dyer, C., McCoy, R., Rodriguez, J., Van Duyn, D. (2007) Countering Violent Islamic Extremism. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin; Vol. 76 No. 12. Retrieved August 8, 2008, from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2194/is_12_76/ai_n27479545
• Gerrig, R., Zimbardo, P. (2005) Psychology and Life 18thEdition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
• Scheuer, M. (2004) Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror. Washington: Brassey's

More papers on The Argument Against Torture:

• Argumentative Essay # 89511 : "The Use of Torture"
• Argumentative Essay # 55392 : "The Case for Torture"
• Persuasive Essay # 111067 : "Torture or Coercion?"

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