Topic : is torture justified when used for national security ?
Assertion: Torture is necessary for national security.
The three reasons torture is justified in this scenario are that, firstly there is a specific time pressure and the knowledge that there is no other possible to way to retrieve the information. Secondly, on a utilitarian calculus, the benefits to many outweigh the cost to one man. Thirdly, because the man is strongly assumed to be guilty, he deserves punishment anyway for his actions.
If torture is going to be administered as a last resort to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to be done openly, with accountability, it is justified.
Opposition: Torture is not necessary for national security
Every human life is unique and should be rewarded with respect. The concept of autonomy, somebody being in control of their own life, is a major part of our concept of what it is to be free. When you use someone as a means to an end, the way torture uses a terrorist as a means to finding information, you take away from that person's autonomy. They are no longer ruling themselves, but being used for a gain that is not their own. Torture impinges on the freedom that all humans deserve as autonomous beings.
If the victim survives, there are long term harms to that person, because their identity has been broken by this process of controlling their minds and bodies. When released, they are unable to function again in society. They are likely to be psychologically damaged for the rest of their lives, suffering trauma or finding it difficult to trust others. That is still a significant amount of damage to one life and directly impedes their autonomy. So, it is never justified to use utilitarian morality in decision making.
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