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What Was Sullivan's Argument To The Abolition Of Torture?

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In this paper I will discuss the issue of torture. More precisely, i will be looking at “The abolition of torture” by Sullivan and “The truth about torture: it’s time to be honest about doing a terrible thing” by Krauthammer. I will be arguing that Sullivan presents a better case than Krauthammer on the issue of whether a liberal democratic community ought to ever resort to torture, because i feel that Sullivan presents strong points and Krauthammer presents weak ones. I will begin by outlining the key points in Krauthammer’s argument, and then outline the points in Sullivan’s argument. I will then continue to outline why Sullivan’s argument are strong to the objection of torture in a liberal democratic community while also consider objections to my …show more content…

He begins by describing the three types of war prisoners. The first is the ordinary soldier who was caught on the battlefield; therefore he is entitled to humane treatment because he has done nothing wrong. Second was the terrorist is by profession he is entitled to no humane treatment, however we it to he because it is morally right. Third we have the terrorist with information, now the issue of torture gets more problematic and the easy virtues of humane treatment don 't easily apply. To explain the terrorist with information better, Krauthammer goes on to describe the “ticking time-bomb” scenario as the following: “A terrorist has planted a nuclear bomb in New York City. It will go off in one hour. A million people will die. You capture the terrorist. He knows where it is. He 's not talking . . . If you have the slightest belief that hanging this man by his thumbs will get you the information to save a million people, are you permitted to do it? Now, on most issues regarding torture, I confess tentativeness and uncertainty. But on this issue, there can be no uncertainty: Not only is it permissible to hang this miscreant by his thumbs. It is a moral

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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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(Pitts, “Torture”). Throughout the article, Pitt’s explains that although torture may work, it is not necessarily in line with the morals of the United States, and if the US were to condone torture, then there would be nothing left to keep the country in check. With his last sentence, Pitt’s is able to pull all of his

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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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“To Catch a Bombmaker” by Clay Dillow appeared in Popular Science in October 2015. Catching a Bombmaker does not come easy; you must have intelligence, surveillance, and knowledge behind the science of a bomb. In “To Catch a Bombmaker” these three things led to a terrorist being caught in the action. Mr. Dillow’s purpose for writing this piece is to inform. Dillow is very professional in his writing.

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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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Should President Logan have allowed CTU to interrogate Prado behind closed doors? I think no, primarily because any sentient being that is put under an extreme amount of mental or physical stress and pain will do anything possible to remove themselves from that situation. In this paper, I will argue why it is morally impermissible to torture by explaining the unjustifiable and unethical elements and why President Logan was right to not allow the interrogation. Torture, first and foremost is morally impermissible because it is unjustifiable.

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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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Has anyone ever heard of something extremely dangerous and life-threatening and thought that, “Hey, let’s try that!”? Would they still want to try it if they knew it was a form of torment? Christopher Hitchens decides to endure a torture technique called “waterboarding” to learn more of its use among Americans. In Hitchens’s Believe Me, It’s Torture, he describes his experience enduring “waterboarding” to discourage use of it in America with use of the persuasive techniques ethos and logos.

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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 the novel “1984” by George Orwell, the Inner Party uses cruelty in a politically and socially effective way by using methods such as torture, starvation, imprisonment, and room 101 as crucial motivation for those being tortured to not only confess but repent of their sins against the party. Furthermore, the use of cruelty by the Inner Party unveils both the victim and perpetrator’s inner conscience. The use of cruelty throughout “1984” by the Inner Party and O’Brien reveals how cruelty functions in the work as a means of oppression and a catalyst of subservience.

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In this article the author asks the question as to whether torture is a viable source in getting information. Since there is other moral ways of getting information. Some of these methods have shown to be more efficient. They also leave the victim’s mind intact. Janoff-Bulman, Ronnie.

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then he gives an example of an interrogation in Guantanamo Bay military prison, they made a detainee bark like a dog, strip searched him to humiliate him, they changed his environment in order to mess up his conception of reality. this kind of techniques were causing detainees to go insane and mentally

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Dershowitz argues that there are two ways to deal with a ticking bomb terrorist, besides doing nothing and letting innocent people die. These options include continuing to torture behind closed door or to utilize torture and make this information open to the

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The depiction of torture as the only form of interrogation hurts the

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