Philosophy Now Forum

I am only interested in the degree of pain because you think it important. If we were arguing that inflicting suffering on prisoners is permissible because we do that - and worse - during war, then why would we be bothered about the degree of suffering? Actually, I don't think it's important. As I ...

Here, since you dunces can't seem to understand why I simply ignored the following comment, I'll spell it out for you so you can stop fellating each other. Inflicting ever more physical discomfort to another person until they bend to your will is torture, no matter how you rationalise. So when I'm a...

Belinda, The following is the US definition of torture, which I got from the first link you provided. I clicked it because I thought it would be relevant to our debate. (1) “torture” means an act committed by a person acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or ...

I certainly do not argue that if I am right is saying that waterboarding falls under a particular definition of 'torture' that 'wins' the moral argument. It's good to see that at least someone else sees that an argument will be owed. Regarding who has the onus to prove 'that thing the CIA did' was ...

Well murder may not be quite the best example, since it is a crime and one could say that it is a technical matter. We do not think all murders are equally immoral. In the UK, although the sentence is always 'life', in practice people are released if the circumstances are considered such that they ...

First, a word about Kant. I know the 'Nazi at the door' example is always given and would say that it isn't an accurate account of Kant. The point about the categorical imperative is that it should be universal, but that doesn't mean it has to be simplistic, i.e. it can be more than 'do not tell li...

What I meant was whether there was a single general moral argument that covered all cases in which one might inflict pain, whether that meant a slap on the wrist or wartime bombing. If one was a pacifist, the answer would be 'Never' but I think for most people it would be that it had to be proporti...

The actual quote was provided - and plenty more can if one could be bothered copying & pasting - but one cannot expect reason or integrity from a troll like FiveRedApples. I know the actual quote was provided. You can't seem to grasp my simple meaning -- that no argument was given THAT REVEALS ...

Whatever we call it, it must involve inflicting such pressure that the people being interrogated cannot stand it. That they will talk, rather than endure it, on that we can surely agree. On that we do agree. It must be effective, and what effectiveness means in this case is that the known terrorist...

You poor saps. You're getting pummeled so badly in this debate that you're now grasping at anything to cheer. A few days ago someone wrote this... Inflicting ever more physical discomfort to another person until they bend to your will is torture, no matter how you rationalise. Then, when I rightly i...

An argument is made that reveals the weakness of your ungrounded claim that waterboarding is not torture. No such argument was given. You're just stating that it was. I've written quite a lot to argue my position. It's really insulting to have some idiot come along and make pronouncements as if she...

FiveRed Apples, I understand your objection. I had intended my past post to be an anecdote and no more. May we assume that that photo was real and I haven't imagined it? Fair enough. I guess I'm a little sensitive to all the off-topic stuff posted on this thread as a means to obfuscate. The torture...

I used to see pictures of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay Camp lying on trolleys (US 'gurneys') . They were lying with their knees raised, which is a position used to combat shock. The position aids blood flow from the big blood vessels in the thighs to the essential abdominal and thoracic organs. Do y...

Are the CIA culpable in the torture meted out to those they conviently handed over to your 'allies' for interrogation? That's not this debate, is it? You can recognize that much, right? So, this is irrelevant. How would you know this, because the CIA said so? Because I read it in 'Courting Disaster...

Okay, Londoner, I will now respond to your comments if only because I know how much time it takes to post the kind of posts you're posting. Obviously I think you're confused as hell, but that's just a statement, so let me back it up now.... But why are you still concerned about whether something fal...