The problem with torture is that it is a big cause of false confessions. Under torture, you never know if the person saying 'I didn't do it' actually did it, and if the person who confessed 'I did it' was actually lying to escape the pain. When humans are under great discomfort and physical/psychological pain we are capable of everything to make it go away - Personally if I hadn't done anything to any of your daughters and you guys tortured me, I would probably just confess to make the pain go away, and get rid of you - I'm not a secret agent trained to resist torture and interrogation. If I was a judge, and I plan on being one, I won't hesitate on giving a harsh sentence to a guy who used torture as a personal method to achieve a certain objective, it's not your right to do so. And yes, police inspectors have intensive training when it comes to interrogation and they probably know better than you how to do it.

Oh, and what if you have the wrong guy? Or the guy you do have doesn't know anything other than where to drop the payment bag after the job is done? Or ... ?

(October 25, 2014 at 6:52 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(October 24, 2014 at 9:52 pm)Chas Wrote: I said I would use torture as a last resort - did you miss that?

Yes, and I never said otherwise. *puzzled*

Boru

You pretty strongly implied it by saying that by torturing the perp unsuccessfully, thus wasting valuable time, I would have been responsible for my daughter's death.

"Last resort" means there is nothing else useful to be done. So, no, I would not be responsible for my daughter's death in that case.

(October 24, 2014 at 6:18 pm)lifesagift Wrote: So you have the guy who has you daughter..... she's in a shed somewhere, hooked up to a bomb... it's going off in 2 hours....
You want the guy to tell you where..

But no torture?

Torture does not work and besides we are civilised. I can't believe in the twenty first Century someone is advocating torture.....you must be American.

(October 25, 2014 at 3:59 am)Faith No More Wrote: Torture is something that should never be used in a legalized, official manner, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it on some son-of-a-bitch that had strapped my son to a bomb.

I would not do it even then if there is any possibility that my actions would be viewed by others as a sanction policy of my country.

I don't think many folks would have a problem with waterboarding congressmen.

(October 25, 2014 at 1:29 am)Heywood Wrote: What is torture?

If torture is causing physical pain as punishment or to force someone to say or do something then waterboarding isn't torture. It really sucks to be water boarded.....but its not painful.

If torture is causing mental or physical discomfort as punishment or to force someone to say or do something then waterboarding is torture. But being in prison would cause me mental and physical discomfort...so if I use this definition I have to conclude that incarceration is also torture.

I accept both definitions.

Abandonment to a prison cell doesn't inevitably lead to death, whereas if waterboarding continues uninterrupted the person has as much of a chance of drowning to death as anyone who is actually stranded in the middle of a lake. The question is not whether or not waterboarding is torture. Of course it is. It's why we hung Japanese interrogators after WWII.

That being said, if we're forced to choose between torture and collateral damage, I would have to say the former is less unethical and should be employed if, and only if, there is substantive reason to believe that when done the possibility of the latter will be removed.

Quote:It's why we hung Japanese interrogators after WWII.

But it's not torture when we do it.

(October 25, 2014 at 1:23 pm)Pickup_shonuff Wrote: It's why we hung Japanese interrogators after WWII.

Sounds like they took the fall.

(October 25, 2014 at 8:19 am)Blackout Wrote: The problem with torture is that it is a big cause of false confessions. Under torture, you never know if the person saying 'I didn't do it' actually did it, and if the person who confessed 'I did it' was actually lying to escape the pain. When humans are under great discomfort and physical/psychological pain we are capable of everything to make it go away - Personally if I hadn't done anything to any of your daughters and you guys tortured me, I would probably just confess to make the pain go away, and get rid of you - I'm not a secret agent trained to resist torture and interrogation. If I was a judge, and I plan on being one, I won't hesitate on giving a harsh sentence to a guy who used torture as a personal method to achieve a certain objective, it's not your right to do so. And yes, police inspectors have intensive training when it comes to interrogation and they probably know better than you how to do it.

The most immediate problem with torture is the favor will be reciprocated.