3 ms·
> Trying to frame it in terms of performance is damaging to the moral aspect of it, Well, I prefer performance-based explanation as to why not use torture. The
by klibertp 11y ago
> Trying to frame it in terms of performance is damaging to the moral aspect of it,
Well, I prefer performance-based explanation as to why not use torture. The problem with morals is that they change. And they tend to provide a lot of backdoors. Like, it's obviously bad to torture, but what if you could save X lives by torturing one person?
With a performance-based explanation it's easy: nothing because torture won't give you reliable information and you won't save the people that way; better start thinking about some other way.
- threatofrain 11y agoBut arguing from a performance perspective on torture is often dishonest, because people start from a conclusion they would like to reach, and then work backward in any way possible to make their claim intellectually respectable. It's dishonest because high-quality research into torture is not really done on a scientifically known level (maybe governments have such knowledge), and it's nigh-impossible for any serious body of scientific evidence and insight to occur. The consequence of this is that people are free to speculate anything at all, insofar as they erect an intellectual barrier capable of thwarting an audience. Like that author did as they appeared deaf to audience questioning.