Human rights, for centuries, has been a buzzword, creating an illusion of equality between people, united in their differences, but it is clear from the callous use of torture throughout history that human rights is only inclusive to those whom society favors. Torture is an act of repression, and establishes a direct attack to the core of human autonomy. One human being is degraded to the state of a non-human object, deprived of all empathy and legal personality. Torture has always aimed to devastate human dignity and diminish its victim to the status of a passive tool of the torturer or judicial system, as seen in Europe in the 1700s. But during this time, with the trepid introduction of human rights and the social feelings associated with …show more content…
In France, the employment of torture was a legally acceptable aspect of the criminal justice system (Hunt 2007). It was not until 1762, when French protestant, Jean Calas, was tortured as means of interrogation and put to his death, following the accusations that he murdered his son to prevent him from converting to Catholicism, that attention to torture was galvanized (Hunt 2007). Following Calas’s execution, Voltaire took up Calas’s cause, he became invested in the case, and eventually published material on it, the most famous of which was the Treatise on Tolerance on the Occasion of the Death of Jean Calas, where Voltaire first used the expression “human right” (Hunt 2007). Voltaire denounced France’s use of judicial torture claiming compassion makes people resist the barbaric practice of torture (Hunt 2007). Though, few prominent members of French society condemned torture, torture was so entrenched in France’s government, that even with Voltaire’s tentative introduction of the linkage between torture and human rights, it was not enough to get rid of the …show more content…
Torture had become a state-sanctioned public marvel. France’s government hoped publicized torture, through an individual observer’s sympathetic identification with the victim, would instill fear in the observers, a fear that would act as a warning to the collective public and provide disincentives for criminal behavior (Hunt 2007). But the opposite occurred; public torture and execution drew immense robust crowds, which viewed the official administration of cruelty as a form of entertainment (Hunt 2007). Viewing and normalizing severe violence like torture degrades the autonomy and humanity of the victim, destroying the connection spectators feel in regards to the victim, thus stunting societal progression. Benjamin Rush, a physician, writer, and humanitarian, argued that both public and private torture violates human rights, and does not act as a motivator of public deterrence from crime, but rather has the exact opposite. Publicized torture deflates the onlookers’ sensibility and bolsters their inability to empathize and understand that the victims of torture have bodies and lives similar to their own (Hunt 2007). Publicized torture violates human rights because of its capacity to demonize and dehumanize its victims; the dehumanization of persons provides justification for any crime that is carried out upon the person because
Applebaum's second argument for eliminating the torture policy is that it constantly enables the enemy to build tolerance for the torture. Applebaum uses the example of “radical terrorists are nasty, so to defeat them we have to be nastier.” This example clearly illustrates the fault within the misconception that torture is ultimately effective. There can also be unnoticed and lasting consequences to torture, that in turn, affect more than the individual country. The global stigma that is labeled upon any country that participates in or allows the torture of wartime prisoners is remarkably important. The public and self image that the respective country acquires, affects
In the article, “Laying Claim to a Higher Morality,” Melissa Mae discusses the controversial topic of using torture as a part of interrogating detainees. She finds the common ground between the supporting and opposing sides of the argument by comparing two different sources, “Inhuman Behavior” and “A Case for Torture.” Mae includes clear transitions from each side of the argument and concise details to ensure that the essay was well constructed. The purpose of the essay is clear, and it is interesting, insightful, and unbiased.
The War on Terror has produced several different viewpoints on the utilization of torture and its effectiveness as a means to elicit information. A main argument has been supplied that torture is ineffective in its purpose to gather information from the victim. The usefulness of torture has been questioned because prisoners might use false information to elude their torturers, which has occurred in previous cases of torture. It has also been supposed that torture is necessary in order to use the information to save many lives. Torture has been compared to civil disobedience. In addition, the argument has been raised that torture is immoral and inhumane. Lastly, Some say that the acts are not even regarded as torture.
In contrast, some individuals may debate that torture and even some more minuscule forms of torture can be beneficial to obtaining the information needed. It is debated that torture has been used in a large portion of political systems in history, and that the “degree” of torture is a significant component when deciphering right vs. wrong. Moher argues that in a political system where torture is justifiable and legal, the torture used would be less extreme than what it is today (Moher, 2013). It is reasoned that different degrees of torture are more acceptable than others, in that some are less psychologically and physically harming. A
Torture is something that is known as wrong internationally. Torture is “deliberate, systematic or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons acting on the orders of authority, to force a person to yield information, to confess, or any other reason” (World Medical Association, 1975, pg.1). There is a general consensus that there is a right to be free from any kind of torture as it can be found in many different human rights treaties around the world. The treaties show that all of the thoughts about torture are pointing away from the right to torture someone no matter what the case
Humiliation, Pain and Death: The Execution of Criminals in New France,” is an article that puts
"It [torture] assured the articulation of the written on the oral, the secret on the public, the procedure of investigation on the operation of the confession; it made it possible to reproduce the crime on the visible body of the criminal; in the same horror, the crime had to be manifested and annulled. It also made the body of the condemned man the place where the vengeance of the sovereign was applied, the anchoring point for a manifestation of power, an opportunity of affirming the dissymmetry of forces."[4]
The history of torture in Europe may seem at first to be a steady progression of barbarous tactics, leading from one social purge to the next, but this is not completely the case. Torture has been used in a progression from primitive methods to the present more modern styles. It has also developed extensively, both in severity and variety of methods used. But in the end, torture has gone full circle; modern forms of torture are more like those methods used by savages than anything in between. Overall, the severity of torture has fluctuated, growing and receding with the passing of each new time period, but eventually reverting to its original state.
In “The Torture Myth”, the author, Anne Applebaum successfully uses logos by including quotes from various sources to support her main claim. Her main claim is the following: “Perhaps it's reassuring to tell ourselves tales about the new forms of "toughness" we need, or to talk about the special rules we will create to defeat this special enemy. Unfortunately, that toughness is self-deceptive and self-destructive. Ultimately it will be self-defeating as well.”(Applebaum) Throughout the piece, she provides several expert testimonies to enforce her claim. The situation of this writing is to clarify what society thinks the effectiveness of torture is compared to the reality. The target audience of this piece is educated people that read the Washington Post, but more specifically law enforcement personnel and or agencies that can possibly use this information in the field. The purpose of this article is to inform society about the misconceptions regarding torture. Although people think that torture is an effective method, because of Applebaum's successful use of logos, diction, and repetition, it is understood that torture is ultimately self-defeating and self-destructive.
With his article “The Case for Torture” Levin has made his readers think over what the differences between the death penalty and torture. Levin provides evidences and asks questions to lead his readers into forming their own opinion on whether torture is totally unacceptable in any situation or not. But it is clear by the end of the article where Levin stands on the topic of
In the 2000s Scientology has exploded into a more widely known; and widely made fun of religion. Scientology is still a contested religion. Scientology as a religion has not changed their view on psychology; if anything Scientology has become more extreme in their view on medicine of the mind. Celebrities such as Tom Cruise (Scientology’s biggest star) have recently spoken out about psychology and psychiatry saying, “I’ve never agreed with psychiatry, ever,” evidencing the religion’s view on psychology and psychiatry has not changed (qtd. in Wright 363). The more extreme practices of convincing its members that the cure to physical ailments is Scientology has changed; since the religion no longer claims to be the cure for the common cold. The
Torture, (n.), the action or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or to force them to do or say something, or for the pleasure of the person inflicting the pain. After reading “Torture” by Holocaust survivor, Jean Amery, it is clear that the above definition of torture does not provide an honest connotative definition for the act and effects of torture. Amery speaks about torture from his own personal experiences in both Auschwitz and Buchenwald, providing witness to the dehumanization of Jews. In “Torture”, Jean Amery truthfully depicts torture as an unimaginable terror, in which one loses sense of self, human dignity, and trust in the world, while gaining a haunted future.
The “dehumanization” of one’s victims does wonders to calm any qualms or misgivings an individual may experience about injuring another man. By evoking fear in the torturer and therefore, a sense of being threatened by a given enemy, the regime in power causes the torturer to feel obliged to defend against such a threat. Consequently, he will torture his fellow man to procure some valued piece of information and in doing so remove himself from a precarious position and subdue his enemies all at once. Such enemies are viewed as evil and little more than monsters. A victim is rarely referred to by his or her name or by any other humanizing characteristic, rather a victim is most often referred to as some base, nonhuman creature or beast.
From kindergarten to my senior year I’ve moved seven times, and have gone to five different schools. Some I only went to for one year and one I went to for seven years. Moving to new schools has made me not as shy and has helped me to learn how to make new friends. I’ve been friends with many people with many different personalities, such as outgoing, shy, awkward, and others.
This project aims to design, analyze, fabricate and testing of Air Filled Stacked Microstrip patch antenna with enhanced bandwidth and gain. Bandwidth and gain enhancement technique takes the advantage of use of the air gap for the stacked antenna. This bandwidth and gain enhanced Microstrip antenna can be deployed for the WLAN application operating at a 5GHz ISM frequency band.