Is torture justified?

Is torture ever justified?

I don't think it is, seeing as you are inflicting pain on another person's body(there are other forms which don't inflict pain, but this is just a prime example), it's just brutal and not humane.

 

How else do you propose we get people to talk?

 

For example, Say we had one of the members who planned 9-11 with us. He/she is VERY loyal. Would we try and "talk" and let the event happen? Or hurt one person to save thousands. You decide

 

Ling Chi.

Everyone saying it's justified, look that up.

 

It says its a form of execution not torture..I think that it isn't necessary unless they are with holding information that may save many many lives.

Apparently after a quick google search, water boarding is the worse of them all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding

 

I personally think torture is immoral and wrong, but if you need to steep that low to saves hundreds or THOUSANDS. It's something that must be done. Alot of people look in the present tense about how its wrong at the moment. Looking into the future you could see a thousand faces that might never have been seen again, leaving their family, friends, loved ones alone and without being able to say good bye. Just some food for thought

 

Ling Chi is torturous execution.

It lasts for around 8 hours, and it's recorded that every single living person submitted to it has given out all information and wanted to die within the first hour.

 

It also said that they where almost always full of opiates when it was going on, and that most of the time they slashed 2 separate slashes across the eye brow and two separate slashes around the breast area, then a quick stab to the heart, and that most of the other "extra" slashing was done post-Mortum.

Referance: Wikipedia

EDIT: also another problem with torture is that if you are making them suffer too much, they may begin to give you tons of fake information just to make you stop the pain. I guess there is also a fine line between "too" much torture even in the interrogators eyes.

 

Torture for the right reasons... yes. Torture for fun.... No.

 

Torture for the right reasons...

What would be the 'right reason', how would we know this is the 'right reason'.

How do we know the person we are torturing has information? What if he gives falsified information to alleviate the excruciating pain he feels as a result of the use of torture? Would we still continue to torture him? What if he truly has no information, would we still torture him? When is enough, enough?

Who's to decide that this is somewhat right, as opposed to outrightly right?

 

Well you cant make an omelet without cracking a few eggs, at some point in life there is only one option, now im not saying torture is right because if i was the one getting tortured i would not be happy at all.

But i think if you have put yourself in a position where you are seen or thought to have information on planned attacks then you have obviously not lived as a average/normal/decent person. There is no nice way to extract information especially if they have been trained or are extremely loyal for their cause, so torture, although again i say is wrong it seems it is a must in some circumstances.

 

Your analogy is flawed, thats like saying you cannot save people without torturing them.

So you'd torture someone just to see if they have information?

Excellent, I shall rise to the ranks of head of CIA, come to your house take you to a dungeon which resides beneath sea level, I shall then proceed to torture you in the most despicable unimaginable ways inflicting the most pain unto you in order to extract information which I believe you to have.
Is this an acceptable situation, as you've posed that thought to have information is grounds for torture.

 

Thought and guess are two different words an i think that you have them mixed up, I know my post wasn't 100% clear but im sure the CIA don't just knock down doors an imprison people an begin to torture them on hunch work, Im no CIA agent but im sure there is a procedure of investigations they follow through with before torture even becomes open for discussion.

Of course there should always be boundary's and things that should not ever happen, but honestly is their any "humain" way of extracting intel from someone ?

How would you go about getting critical information from a man that is ready to die for his country at the drop of his at ?

You also have to think, in the western world torture is deeply frowned upon, but if you were a man of power caught by the enemy,whomever they may be, do you think they would not torture you for information ?

 

Torture warrants. (Yes theres such a thing in America)

This would be dependent on the person.
Some people break due to physical assault, some break due to a mental assault, others would break due to an incentive.

Find out what they want, and only use torture as a last resort when we know for sure he has useful intel; methods of torture are different from person to person. This is a very general question, be much more specific.

Irrelevant.
Would you cannibalize a cannibal under this justification?

It should be known, I'm pretty much against torture in all situations. The only situation I accept it in, is where we can be certain the person at hand has useful intel that is used in saving the lives of the many. If we have a scintilla of doubt, and haven't exhausted all methods such as presenting incentives, then torture should not be used.

 

Torture is a terrible thing. I believe people should try to prevent as much pain in the world as possible. However, if torture is the only way to prevent more pain then to the one being tortured it could be ethically used.

 

Isnt there drugs that put you in a "truth speak" mindset, ignoring the harry potter pun.

 

Narco analysis.

However the veracity of the information which the subject utters is questionable.

Essentially all it does is induce talkative behaviour.

 

I believe you cannot justify torture.It's cruel.

 

Only if its used as a last resort and there is no other way to get anymore information.

 

Only if its used as a last resort and there is no other way to get anymore information.