Understanding the effects of interrogational torture
(2011) p.85-92- Abstract
- The debate around whether or not torture can be morally justified have been intense ever since September 11, 2001, and gained further actuality as the Obama administration in the U.S. released documents concerning interrogational techniques used by the C.I.A. In this chapter, I examine the notion of torture often used in these debates, within the field of academic philosophy as well as in the public debate. I claim that torture is perceived of as nothing but a negative incentive produced with the purpose to coerce, and show that this not only is a faulty conception of torture, but that it is also a dangerous conception of torture. Torture, I propose, although it might function as a negative incentive, often does something quite different... (More)
- The debate around whether or not torture can be morally justified have been intense ever since September 11, 2001, and gained further actuality as the Obama administration in the U.S. released documents concerning interrogational techniques used by the C.I.A. In this chapter, I examine the notion of torture often used in these debates, within the field of academic philosophy as well as in the public debate. I claim that torture is perceived of as nothing but a negative incentive produced with the purpose to coerce, and show that this not only is a faulty conception of torture, but that it is also a dangerous conception of torture. Torture, I propose, although it might function as a negative incentive, often does something quite different than coerce its subject. I suggest that it might coerce, but it might also violate the preference autonomy, or even eradicate its victim’s personhood. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/05d0bfe5-9fcc-499f-b92d-c81da6a12df3
- author
- Herlitz, Anders LU
- publishing date
- 2011
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Making Sense of Suffering : Theory, Practice, Representation - Theory, Practice, Representation
- editor
- Hogue, Bev and Sugiyama, Anna
- pages
- 85 - 92
- publisher
- Brill
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85140541059
- ISBN
- 9781848880603
- DOI
- 10.1163/9781848880603_011
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 05d0bfe5-9fcc-499f-b92d-c81da6a12df3
- date added to LUP
- 2024-12-10 14:38:14
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 14:29:01
@inbook{05d0bfe5-9fcc-499f-b92d-c81da6a12df3,
abstract = {{The debate around whether or not torture can be morally justified have been intense ever since September 11, 2001, and gained further actuality as the Obama administration in the U.S. released documents concerning interrogational techniques used by the C.I.A. In this chapter, I examine the notion of torture often used in these debates, within the field of academic philosophy as well as in the public debate. I claim that torture is perceived of as nothing but a negative incentive produced with the purpose to coerce, and show that this not only is a faulty conception of torture, but that it is also a dangerous conception of torture. Torture, I propose, although it might function as a negative incentive, often does something quite different than coerce its subject. I suggest that it might coerce, but it might also violate the preference autonomy, or even eradicate its victim’s personhood.}},
author = {{Herlitz, Anders}},
booktitle = {{Making Sense of Suffering : Theory, Practice, Representation}},
editor = {{Hogue, Bev and Sugiyama, Anna}},
isbn = {{9781848880603}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{85--92}},
publisher = {{Brill}},
title = {{Understanding the effects of interrogational torture}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9781848880603_011}},
doi = {{10.1163/9781848880603_011}},
year = {{2011}},
}