re: #95 WindUpBird

I think the torture thing is a philosophical impasse

Personally, I think torture is barbaric and animalistic and the refuge of cowards and idiots, and reveals our nature as dumb animals at our core, but that’s just me

basically, i don’t trust human beings to have the perspective to torture, we’re not to be trusted as a species to torment each other, the act itself is a breakdown and damaging of civilization, a “giving up” of civilization, if you will

Aside from the damage done to the person being tortured, I think requiring someone to torture another person on our behalf is an awful thing. I’m convinced that doing something hurtful to another person has a detrimental effect on a person, no matter how good their motives are. So yes, the act itself is a breakdown of civilization on a lot of different fronts, and it’s frightening. It’s also frightening to me to know that a person has information that could be used to save a bunch of people, if the information becomes known. So the question for me is where is the line drawn between true torture and a difficult interrogation? Better minds than mine will have to figure that out.