TORTURE AND TERRORISM
The use of torture by governments and regimes has occurred around the world and throughout various eras of human history. Since 9/11 and the War on Terrorism that followed, the use of torture has come into greater scrutiny with some administrations using it to extract what they deem to be life-saving information and other administrations setting policies against the use of torture.
The topic of torture is complex and involves many ethical issues ranging from the deprivation of human rights and the infliction of pain and suffering to the need to acquire life-saving information in situations known as the “ticking time bomb” scenarios.
ETHICAL QUESTION: Is it moral to use torture to extract life-saving information from a known terrorist?
References
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/torture/
https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/on-the-ethics-of-torture/
Overview
In this written assignment, you will create an ethics case study based on provided topics, resources, and ethical questions. Your tasks here are to present the case study and the information necessary to consider it. You will choose one of the ethical questions provided with the case study and discuss the central moral controversy the question addresses. You will also briefly apply utilitarianism to the case study. This written assignment should be an essay and include the following sections and headings.
Part 1: Introduction, Case Study
In this section, you will create the case study. To complete this section,
Choose a case study from the selection provided by your instructor in the Week 2 announcement titled “Week 2 Case Studies.”
Present a brief introduction to the case study.
Discuss background information provided in one of the resources.
This section should be around 300 words.
Part 2: Ethical Question
In this section, discuss one of the ethical questions provided with the case study. To complete this section,
State the ethical question you have chosen to discuss and place it at the beginning of the section in bold font.
Discuss the ethical question by considering two or more of the following:
What is the central moral controversy at the heart of the ethical question?
What ethical or societal values are at stake in the question?
Who is impacted by the issue or moral controversy?
What might it say about us as individuals or society depending on how we answer the ethical question?
This section should be around 150 words.
Part 3: Position Statement
In this section, you will formulate a position statement that answers the ethical question, and then support the position statement. To complete this section,
Formulate a position statement that directly answers the ethical question. For example, if the ethical question is “Is it moral for public schools to use corporal punishment to discipline students?” Your position statement would be either “It is moral for schools to use corporal punishment.” or “It is not moral for schools to use corporal punishment.”
Discuss reasons that support your position statement. The reasons should be moral or value-based as opposed to statistical or other information-based reasons. For example, the use of corporal punishment in public schools is rare, but this is fact and not a moral reason; so it would not provide much support for the position statement.
This section should be around 150 words.
Part 4: Opposition Statement
In this section, you will provide a statement that directly opposes the position statement and discuss reasons that support it. To complete this section,
Formulate a statement that opposes your position statement. For example, if your position statement was “It is not moral for schools to use corporal punishment,” then your opposing position statement would be “It is moral for public schools to use corporal punishment.”
Discuss reasons that support your opposition statement. As in the preceding section, these reasons should also be moral or value-based as opposed to statistical or other information-based reasons.
This section should be around 150 words.
Part 5: Application of Utilitarianism
In this section,
Explain the principle of “the greatest good for the greatest number.”
Consider how this principle would support your position or opposing position statement.
This section should be around 100 words.
