The Ethics of TortureTorture has recently been the subject of some sensational headlines. As a result, there has been a huge surge in interest in the ethical implications of this contentious issue. The Ethics of Torture offers the first complete introduction to the philosophical debates surrounding torture. The book asks key questions in light of recent events such as the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib. What makes torture morally reprehensible? Are there any conditions under which torture is acceptable? What is it like to be tortured, and why do people engage in torture? The authors argue that the force of the most common arguments for torture (like the ticking-bomb argument) are significantly overestimated, while the wrongness of torture has been significantly underestimated—even by those who argue against it. This is the ideal introduction to the ethics of torture for students of moral philosophy or political theory. It also constitutes a significant contribution to the torture debate in its own right, presenting a unique approach to investigating this dark practice. |
Contents
Coming to Definitional Terms with TortureFour Models | 1 |
The Economic Model of TortureTickingBomb Arguments and Torture Warrants | 16 |
The Phenomenological Model of TortureDignity and the Destruction of Agency | 56 |
The Dramaturgical Model of TortureInterrogations Immorality Play | 77 |
The Communicative Model of TortureUnderstanding Institutionally Permissive Torture | 100 |
Assessing the Varieties of TortureConcluding Reflections on a Recurrent Problem | 118 |
Notes | 123 |
Bibliography | 131 |
Index | 159 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abu Ghraib agent Alan Dershowitz Almerindo András Applied Philosophy Bagaric and Clarke Bagram Cambridge University Press Christian Pross Christopher W claim Consequences of Torture Darmer Debate in America defend Dershowitz detainee dramaturgical dramaturgical perspective Dunér eds Ellen Gerrity eds Kenneth Roth End to Torture Ethics Face of American Farris Tuma Goffman Greenberg Habermas's Human Rights Watch instances of torture institutions International interrogational torture Karen Keane Kenneth Roth lifeworld Mental Health Consequences MODEL OF TORTURE National Security Norbert Gurris one’s Orwell Didn't Know Oxford University Press pain Pennsylvania Press persons Phenomenon of Torture Philadelphia prisoner Prometheus Books Psychological Torture role Rosenbaum Roth and Minky Sanford Levinson Schulz Side of Torture simply social Springer Symbolic Interactionism Szántó Terrence Terrorism thought experiment ticking-bomb argument tion Torture Debate Torture Survivors torture warrants total institutions Trauma of Psychological ture University of Pennsylvania victim Violence War on Terror William F York