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The Validity Of Torture

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Torture as a form of interrogation dates back to 530AD, when Roman jurists espoused the virtues of torture as “the highest form of truth” (Ross, 2005, p. 4). Greek legal orator Demosthenes believed that “no statements made as a result of torture have ever been proved untrue”. Torture can be defined as an act inflicting mental or physical pain and suffering in order to obtain information, punish, intimidate or for any reason from a person or a third person. The 20th Century saw a revival of torture techniques against perceived opponents of the state, and priority was given to state security. The Stalinist regime of the 1930s used torture to instil terror into the population, marking a convergence away from its traditional use to generate confessions (Green, 2011). …show more content…

Many also doubted the validity of information given under torture, and Dutch lawyer Antonius Matthaeus II questioned whether there is a possibility that “the accused person’s perception of truth would be skewed under torture” In 1984, action was finally taken against torture and torture was announced to be illegal in United States, as well as 74 other countries under an international convention, the UN Convention on Torture against Torture, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly. Since then, there has been many arguments regarding whether the convention would prove beneficial or disadvantageous to our

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In the article “The Case for Torture”, Michael Levin argues that the use of torture as a way to save lives is justifiable and necessary. Levin draws a series of cases where torture might be acceptable so as to set certain precedent for the justification of torture in more realistic cases. HoweverLevin illustrates three cases where torture might be justifiable.he describes a terrorist keeping city of millions hostage to an atomic bomb, the second, a terrorist who has implanted remote bombs on a plane and the third, a terrorist who has kidnapped a baby. torture and its consequences have been recorded in countries around of world over a vast span of time, and for a variety of reasons. Levin makes no such attempt to expand his article beyond

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Mahatma Gandhi, the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement states “You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.” This is important because torture is brutal on the body and mind. The article “Torture’s Terrible Toll” by John McCain is more convincing then the article “The Case for Torture” by Michael Levin because McCain provides more logical reasoning, he adds his own personal experience of being a captured prisoner during the Vietnam War, and he creates an emotional bond with people around the world. Through more logical reasoning McCain Argument is more valid than Levin.

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The Case for Torture Wins Torture is it morally acceptable? Many have debated this argument but I would like to bring up two main conflicting view points from Michael Levin, and Marzieh Ghisai. Michael Levin is a Jewish law professor who wrote The Case for Torture where he advocates where torture is acceptable in some circumstances.

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In Michael Levin’s “The Case for Torture”, he uses many cases of emotional appeal to persuade the reader that torture is necessary in extreme cases. There are many terms/statements that stick with the reader throughout the essay so that they will have more attachment to what is being said. Levin is particularly leaning to an audience based in the United States because he uses an allusion to reference an event that happened within the states and will better relate to the people that were impacted by it. The emotional appeals used in this essay are used for the purpose of persuading the reader to agree that in extreme instances torture is necessary and the United States should begin considering it as a tactic for future cases of extremity. One major eye catching factor of this essay is the repetitive use of words that imply certain stigmas.

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In Michael Levin's The Case for Torture, Levin provides an argument in which he discusses the significance of inflicting torture to perpetrators as a way of punishment. In his argument, he dispenses a critical approach into what he believes justifies torture in certain situations. Torture is assumed to be banned in our culture and the thought of it takes society back to the brutal ages. He argues that societies that are enlightened reject torture and the authoritative figure that engage in its application risk the displeasure of the United States. In his perspective, he provides instances in which wrongdoers put the lives of innocent people at risk and discusses the aspect of death and idealism.

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While analyzing “The Torture Myth” and “The Case for Torture”, it is very clear to see the type of rhetorical appeals used to persuade the audience. Anne Applebaum, the writer of “The Torture Myth” --in context of the decision of electing a new Attorney General--would argue that torture is very seldomly effective, violates a person’s rights, and should be outlawed due to the irrational need upon which physical torture is used. On the other hand, Michael Levin strongly argues that physical torture is crucial to solving every imminent danger to civilians. Levin claims that if you don’t physically torture someone, you are being weak and want to allow innocent people to die over something that could have been simply done.

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In medieval times, torture was used to punish criminals, deter crime, and gather information. There were many different types of tortures, most of which were brutal and painful. At the time, torture was deemed necessary to maintain order. Laws were harsh and torture was severe, but effective form of punishment. Despite its effectiveness, torture was often an unfair and extremely cruel punishment, and should have been eliminated in all forms.

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In order to better understand how torture is used in the Salem Witch Trials, it is necessary to examine the usage of torture and interrogation in the modern

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2016). Using this ethical framework to argue against torture, one needs to consider the violation of the terrorist’s rights. Utilitarians argue that under a scenario where thousands of people are in danger, the well-being of the larger community is more important than neglecting the rights of a single individual (Krauthammer 2005). The simple idea of taking away a person’s autonomy for the sake of others violates rights ethics. To comprehend the violation upon the victim’s rights, it is important to understand how torture feels, “Brian describes his body as having become an object… pain is the central reality; it dominates experience and expression (Wisnewski 2010, 81).”

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"Erroneous Assumptions: Popular Belief in the Effectiveness of Torture Interrogation." Peace & Conflict 13.4 (2007): 429-435. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.

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There are many interpretations of what torture is and how something can be classified as torture. In “Believe Me It’s Torture” Christopher Hitchens talks about the United States and its various uses of interrogation tactics to get Important information from suspected terrorists. In the article the author often brings up the waterboarding tactic that is often used and how there is a large controversy over whether it is in fact torture or if it is just simply harmless. The article states, “waterboarding was something that Americans did to other Americans, it was inflicted upon and endured by the Special Forces in a form of training called S.E.R.E (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) so that they could build up a resistance to it so that they

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In 2003 the US military relied on the confession taken from Sheikh al-Libi in which it was claimed that Iraq supplied both chemical and biological weapons to Al Qaeda. This testimony was used in the month leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Later al-Libi retracted his statement saying that he did so in order to make the torture stop. This is a clear example of the ineffectiveness of torture and the bad consequences it can often produce. The CIA had forgotten its own conclusion, sent to congress in 1989, that ‘inhumane physical or psychological techniques are counterproductive because they do not produce intelligence and will probably result in false answers.’

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To trust the information given by a terrorist who is under countless hours of torture really can do more harm than good. When a terrorist is tortured they go under five documented types of torture this includes: stress positions, sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation, constant noise, and starvation. Sean O’Mara, a professor of experimental brain research at Trinity College Dublin, released an article talking how the brain works under fear, starvation, thirst, extreme temperatures, immersion in water, and sleep deprivation. O’Hara states, “These stressors create problems for memory, mood and thinking, and sufferers, predictability, produce information that is deeply unreliable” (O’Mara) he goes on to state, “I don’t know why more scientists

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Life on our planet earth is in jeopardy because of fossil fuels Fossil fuels are bad for the environment because when they are burned it causes it to emit carbon dioxide and other harmful air pollutants when burned. Which is really bad for earth. Also another reason why Fossil fuels are harmful to the earth is it takes millions of years for fossil fuels to re generate so it will cost a lot of money to use fossil fuel because it doesn't just come after one day you would have to wait millions of years. All this quotes supports this topic because it is showing how and why fossil fuels are bad for the environment. And also i states in my article why fossil fuels are (nonrenewable) Fossil fuels are also bad because they cause something to happen

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Accordingly to realist theory the judges are deciding cases on the facts of each particular case considering various psychological and sociological factors. The majority of lawyers now recognize that judges are taking into account also political implications of legal rules and decisions. In theory this means that the same profile cases can have various outcomes and be decided differently even when the judges are being not mistaken, reasonable and honest. This thus explains why legal realism theory concentrates so much on the indeterminacy of law.

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