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Full Description
A detailed, clear, and comprehensive overview of the current philosophical debate on toture.
The question of when, and under what circumstances, the practice of torture might be justified has received a great deal of attention in the last decade in both academia and in the popular media. Many of these discussions are, however, one-sided with other perspectives either ignored or quickly dismissed with minimal argument. In On the Ethics of Torture, Uwe Steinhoff provides a complete account of the philosophical debate surrounding this highly contentious subject. Steinhoff's position is that torture is sometimes, under certain narrowly circumscribed conditions, justified, basing his argument on the right to self-defense. His position differs from that of other authors who, using other philosophical justifications, would permit torture under a wider set of conditions. After having given the reader a thorough account of the main arguments for permitting torture under certain circumstances, Steinhoff explains and addresses the many objections that have been raised to employing torture under any circumstances. This is an indispensible work for anyone interested in one of the most controversial subjects of our times.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. What Is Torture?
2. The Moral Justification of Torture
The Argument from Self-defense
What Is Self-defense?
Proportionality, or: Many Forms of Torture
Are Not as Bad as Killing
The Argument from the Culpability for Creating a Forced-Choice Situation
The Argument from Necessity
Reminder: The Justification of Torture Is Compatible with Rights Absolutism
The Utilitarian Argument
3. Defusing the Ticking-Social-Bomb Argument: Against Consequentialist Attempts to Undermine the Right to Self-defensive Torture
4. Against the Institutionalization of Torture
5. Legalizing Torture?
6. Objections
Attempts to Quickly Dismiss the Argument from Self-defense and Other Rights-based Arguments
The Defenselessness Argument
But Is It Really Self-defense? Whitley Kaufman and Daniel Hill
David Sussman's Complicity Argument
Kant's Categorical Imperative: The Three Kantian Formulas
"Breaking the Will" (and "Dignity," "Subject Status," and "Self-legislative Rulership")
Torture and the Doctrine of Double Effect
Is the Ticking-Bomb Example Unrealistic?
"Torture Knows No Limits"
7. Is Justifying Torture Bad Even If Torture Is Sometimes Justified?
Conclusions
Notes
References
Index
