Neiwert On Torture
by tristero
The baseline problem with torture, after all, is that it is prima facie immoral, a violation not just of the Golden Rule and basic Christian precepts, but of nearly any system of ethics. Even the most hard-nosed rationalist will come to this conclusion (see, e.g., Kant’s Categorical Imperative). It’s an obvious one if you’re a Christian.
All you have to present to any Christian, when it comes to torture, is their own favorite moral-guidepost aphorism: What Would Jesus Do?
To anyone familiar not just with Jesus’ teachings but the story of his martyrdom — including his torture at the hands of authorities — the answer is crystal clear.
Exactly. Torture is unacceptable and immoral behavior. It is not for nothing that Bush and Cheney are going to exceptional lengths to hide what they’re doing to people right now. And what they’ve done in the past.
Oh, and Matthew Yglesias? Arguments from inutility vis a vis torture? Uh uh, no good. They are extremely poor arguments to advance in the torture debate. What if I could prove torture did work? Would THAT make it a reasonable “interrogation technique?” It would not. The only strong argument is that torture simply is immoral. It is a gross violation of what it means to be human.