Communicator (communicator) wrote,
Communicator
communicator

'What is it good for? absolutely nothing'

What do you think about arguments that torture 'doesn't work'? Military experts say that torture is a poor way of discovering truth, and history (for instance the witch craze) gives us many examples of torture leading to fabricated confession. So, personally, I think the actual evidence is that torture doesn't work, when employed systematically.

On the other hand I have sympathy with Majikthise who argues that we shouldn't even discuss why torture 'doesn't work'. It shouldn't even be on the table for discussion. We don't stoop to explaining to men why rape doesn't work as a form of sexual encounter: we just say it's no good.

What do you think? Explain why it's no use, or just stand firm that it's evil?

Incidentally a commenter on Majikthise says

'It's interesting to note who is a supporter of torture, I think, for future reference. After speaking with torture victims, I have come to share their understanding that a person who can justify dehumanizing a person for some ostensibly limited reason can eventually justify doing it for any reason, given time. Torture-apologists, let alone torturers, are telling you a lot about who they are are as people, and how they view themselves and everyone else'


Would you change your opinion of a friend if he or she supported the use of torture? Have you heard friends say that?
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  • Phew what a scorcher

    I see Gove has backed down on climate change and it's back in the curriculum again.

  • GCSE Computer Science

    My book is now for sale

  • LJ Settings

    At the moment I have set up this journal so that only friends can comment. I hate doing this, but I was just getting too much Russian spam.