Ethics Of Torture

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The United States government should never use torture in its counter-terrorism efforts as it is unethical and inconsistent with American values. Torture is defined as the intentional infliction of pain and suffering on a non-consenting victim for the purpose of breaking the victim’s will (Moser and McDonald 2015). Torture tactics include waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and solitary confinement. Torture is unethical in all situations and its supporters use irrational scenarios to defend its use in counter-terrorism efforts. Torture violates the individual rights ethical approach by subjecting non-consenting victims to extreme harm and suffering. The rights approach views “human beings as having the ability to choose freely what they want …show more content…
The virtue ethical approach states that there are certain ideals toward which we should strive (Velasquez et al 2014). These virtuous ideals include compassion, self-control, and integrity among many others. Under this approach, ethical actions enhance and cultivate virtuous ideals. The image of the United States comprises virtues such as freedom, equality, and human rights. Torture does not cultivate the virtuous ideals of society as a whole or the virtuous ideals of the United States. If any level of torture is allowed to occur, society may become desensitized to the idea of using torture and more torture will occur (Mayerfeld 2008). Desensitization may lead the United States to allow even more unethical acts that contradict society’s virtues. Each act of torture in the present makes it easier to accept the use of torture in the future. Torture does not cultivate virtues in the United States and damages its integrity. John McCain has argued that if the United States sinks to the level of its enemies we will “lose the moral standing that has made America unique in the world” (Evans 2007). Torture becomes counterproductive because it alienates target populations, such as Muslims, and may perpetuate the problem of terrorism (Mayerfeld 2008). Torture also damages the individual virtues of the people committing the torture. Under the …show more content…
The utilitarian ethical approach strives to maximize benefits and minimize harms for the greatest number of people (Moser and McDonald 2015). In the utilitarian approach, an action is ethical if it benefits many people. Defenders of torture use the ticking time bomb scenario to illustrate that torture is ethical under the utilitarian approach. In the ticking time bomb scenario a known terrorist is captured, a terrorist attack is imminent, and the captured terrorist has vital information that can prevent an attack (lecture). Krauthammer, and other defenders of torture argue that if you have a chance to save a great number of people by torturing a terrorist, it is your moral duty to do so (Krauthammer 2005). Under this approach, torture is considered ethical even in a slow fuse scenario where an attack is not imminent. Torture is considered ethical under the utilitarian approach because the harm of only one person benefits a large group of
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