Torture and Morality

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that different organizations, governments and people hold different philosophies by which they designate actions as either moral or immoral. The paper discusses how Emmanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill and Thomas Hobbes argue that morality is unique to the person in question and can be based on any number of criteria. The paper shows how just as there is no consensus among philosophers as to the nature of morality, there is no clear consensus over torture. The paper looks at the current international laws regarding human rights.

From the Paper:

"Recent historical events suggest that an evaluation of torture is apt in timing. To begin with, the terrorist acts that occurred on September 11, 2001 'dramatically demonstrated the destructive power that terrorist cells were capable of wielding on U.S. soil.' Terrorism is an unconventional form of warfare that calls for unconventional forms of response. The scale on which the terrorist attacks of September 11 wreaked their damage was well beyond any that had previously occurred, and beyond what many people believed was possible. If nothing else, these events illustrated the limitations of conventional modes of deterrence. Consequently, a poll of the American public following the attacks revealed that a substantial portion backed torture as a legitimate tool to reduce the likelihood of future terrorist attacks."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Browlie, Ian, Basic Documents in International Law, (1995) 256.
• Feinberg, Joel and Russ Schafer-Landau, Reason and Responsibility, (1999) 514.
• Hall, Kermit L, The Oxford Companion to American Law, (2002) 423.
• Keeley, Jennifer, Deterring and Investigating Attack: the Role of the FBI and CIA (2004) 14.
• Kellaway, Jean, The History of Torture and Execution, (2003) 6.

More papers on Torture and Morality:

• Argumentative Essay # 119069 : "Torture and the War on Terror"
• Analytical Essay # 68285 : "Torture and Human Rights"
• Argumentative Essay # 128251 : "Resort to Torture"

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