Torture Or Not To Torture Research Paper

Throughout Philosophy, morality is a central theme. Although each scholar views the definition of morality differently, the goal of people to be better and think for themselves is the main focus. Many philosophers have defined and categorized utilitarianism in different ways. In normative ethics, Jeremy Bentham believes an action is right if it promotes happiness and wrong if it produces the reverse of happiness but not just the happiness of a person who performed the action but also everyone that was affected by it (Duignan). Utilitarianism is the view that the morally right action is the action that has the most good (Driver). The foundation of morality in utilitarianism comes from utility or intrinsic value (Skorupski 256). In utilitarianism actions are evaluated by their utility instead of intrinsic properties of the actions (Skorupski 256). Utilitarianism says certain acts are right or wrong in themselves making us perform them or do not do them at all. On the contrary, concepts of the good go hand and hand with that of rights and obligation causing obligation to be determined by intrinsic value (Skorupski 256). John Stuart Mill theory of utilitarianism reveals what is utilitarianism, the morality, proof of validity, and the connection between justice and utility in the study of thinking.

Utilitarianism, in the contrary, is based on the principle of utility or usefulness. Utility is what encourages an agent to act in a particular way (Tuckett, 1998). Utility can be explained as maximizing the good like pleasure and happiness and minimizing the bad like pain and evil, all leading to the greater good for all parties involved. It weights the consequences of the actions equally between the ones involved, and the ethical solution would be to follow the greater good for most if not all the parties involved.

Utilitarianism can be generally defined as a way of thinking where one chooses an action based on the amount of happiness that it would produce. In the book Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, by Barbara MacKinnon and Andrew Fiala, the authors state “Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism,” and that “John Stuart Mill explained it as ‘actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.’” (MacKinnon 95). This means that utilitarianism focuses on result of an action based on happiness and that decisions can be taken made by looking at possible outcomes of that decision. What Mill stated would be defined as “ the principle of utility or the greatest happiness principle.”( MacKinnon, 95). This principle is one in which could be

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 2014, the Senate Select Committee released its key findings of the CIA torture report. Their conclusions and summary listed in the report were shocking. For years now, debate has been going on as to whether the CIA torture reports should have been released. It may even be considered one of the biggest conspiracy theories of all time. Some claim it should not have been released, to protect the citizens. While others argue, it should be released because it is our right to know. The controversy lies in if cruel and unusual punishment was occurring, then the public should have been informed. Secondly, if inhumane treatment is being administered by our government, the world’s perception of America ‘the land of the free’ is vastly compromised

Since -9/11, torture has been official US policy by George Bush at the highest levels of government. On September 17, 2001, George Bush signed a secret finding empowering CIA to "Capture, Kill, or Interrogate Al-Queda Leaders." (Lendman, 2008). It also authorized establishing a secret global facilities to detain and interrogate them without guidelines on proper treatment. In the same time, Bush approved a secret "high-value target list" of about two dozen names. He also gave CIA free reign to capture, kill and interrogate terrorists that were not on the list (Lendman, 2008). What is torture: (a) the intentional infliction of extreme physical pain or suffering on some non-consenting, defenseless person; (b) the intentional, substantial curtailment of the exercise of a person 's autonomy (achieved by means of (a)); (c) in general, undertaken for the purpose of breaking the victim 's will." We will discuss terrorism and torture, look at arguments for and against each practice, and ethically evaluate those arguments (Lendman, 2008)..

When it comes to the topic of torturing an individual to gain information, most of us would readily agree that this subject is very debatable. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether or not the government should be able to make a human endure extreme pain and suffering in order to gain information. Whereas some are convinced that torture is inhumane and unethical and the information that is gained is at times inaccurate and a waste of time to rely on, others maintain that torture is a good way to retrieve information that is crucial to prevent future devastating events that may end many American lives. With that being said, I agree that torture is a fundamental tool for gaining information from a criminal in an aspect because torturing that person maybe unlawful, but saving thousands of lives outweigh the pain or death that may come to this one wrong doing individual.

Utilitarianism: For and Against Utilitarianism is a moral theory that is centered around the concept of happiness. Although there are many varieties of the theory, utilitarianism is generally thought to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. Happiness is considered to be an act that people seek, and an ultimate goal for human beings. Classical utilitarianism focuses on the concept of happiness and actions, as well as their consequences that impact others, not just an individual. English philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill have two different approaches to utilitarianism.

Utilitarianism is one of the most influential moral theories which holds that the morality of an action is determined by whether it contributes to the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people or not. John Stuart Mill, a famous philosopher of the 1800s, is widely known as one of the founders of utilitarianism. He states that the foundation of utilitarianism is that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness”(Mill 10). Also, he raised the concept that pleasures that are generated by higher faculties values more than the one brought by baser faculties. Further, he distinguished between the quality and quantity of utility yields by an action. As a branch

Utilitarianism, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, states that the morality of an action should be judged based on the extent to which it produces happiness, or the opposite of happiness—an action is good as long as the result is happiness, and deemed bad if it results in pain. A clearer understanding of what Utilitarianism is can be gained by John Stuart Mill’s characterization of what it is not. He states, “I believe that the very imperfect notion ordinarily formed of its meaning, is the chief obstacle which impedes its reception; and that could it be cleared, even from only the grosser misconceptions, the question would be greatly simplified, and a large proportion of its difficulties removed” (Mill, 2007, p. 4). In defining Utilitarianism, Mill dispels common misconceptions that are held about Utilitarianism in order to give the reader a clearer understanding of the doctrine and the rationales that support it.

Utilitarianism is rooted in the thesis that an action or practice is right (when compared to any alternative action or practice) if it leads to the greatest possible balance of good consequences or to the least possible balance of bad consequences in the world as a whole. (13) This theory discusses how as humans we should pursue our lives. John Mill, a philosopher, supported the Utilitarianism perspective, known as, "The Greatest Happiness"

Intelligence convocation protects the citizens of the United States safe from the foreboding of enemies with the intent to attempt pernicious deeds. The contrivance that is applied to expand the knowledge about the saboteurs can be a matter of human rights and morals. The success of torturing suspects of a major crime has varied results. The use of mental and physical torture while interrogating has been used since the medieval times in Europe. However, investigations by modern psychologists on the success of obtaining accurate information from suspects using torture interrogation methods has shown that result in ineffective and unpredictable information. Therefore, the modus operandi of torture should not be used in the interrogation process

Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory reliant upon the foundational belief that utility means that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness [and] wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Mill, 329). In

Utilitarianism, founded by Jeremy Bentham and advocated by philosopher John Stuart Mill, is the ethics that upholds creating the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of sentient beings. This is known in Utilitarianism as the Greatest Happiness Principle, and the good with which this moral theory is concerned with is defined by Mill as “pleasure and the absence of pain” . Pleasure, according to Mill, can be measured in quality by asking experienced persons of between two pleasures which they would prefer the most, and in quantity by choosing the pleasure that is preferred by the greatest amount of sentient beings . Utilitarianism is also characterized by being concerned only with the consequences of one’s actions and that an action creates more happiness than it does unhappiness .

The idea of Utilitarianism, and the greatest happiness principle were developed by philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham in the 19th century, and even has lineage back to Epictetus, utilitarianism coincides with the greatest happiness principle. The idea is that you should act in a way that would generate the majority of overall happiness, and focus on the consequences of your actions rather than the action itself (Driver, 2009), this goes along perfectly with the definition to be wise of maximizing benefit, because being wise means maximizing benefit. Furthermore, this means that good actions have good consequences, regardless of the intention of the action. This way, we can ensure that we ensure that we, as a society and individuals, make as many people as happy as possible, and through knowing that you are promoting happiness for others, you yourself can find happiness through that. Therefore, because we as sentient beings, do what we do as we think it will promote our happiness, thinking and acting like a utilitarian will ensure that our actions