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Originally Posted by sprocket
My point exactly. Which is why its silly to take an absolutist stance. There are indeed possible situations where torture would be the moral and right choice. Not saying they are ever likely to happen, but I'm sure they have at some point in the past and probably will again.
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If, and I repeat .. I F .. I, personally, was ever faced with some far-fetched hollywood scenario that included something as suggested in this thread where one "bad guy" knows some compelling information that could save 100's or 1000's of lives, such as "there is a ticking bomb that is about the blow the city off the map"
.... and I F .... after discovering the existence of said completely inconceivable scenario, the entire combined forces of the state and local authorities, the federal government, and quite possibly the collective efforts of the US armed forces cannot use their vastly extensive investigative powers to find such a destructive force in time BEFORE it explodes OR he simply tells me where it is AND I have used every other reasonably sane measure of humane interrogation and investigation tactic to no avail .. well then .. I MIGHT be able to look the other way and ignore some form of torture to be inflicted on said "bad guy" in an effort to obtain information that I know in all likelihood will be erroneous and useless.
But I'll do it knowing that TORTURE IS STILL WRONG, and I'll pray for whomever is pulling the fingernails or doing the water-boarding or what the hell ever other sick inhumane tactics you think might be appropriate in this or any other conceivable setting. I'll also hope and pray that I NEVER live to see the day where we as human beings will EVER encounter a situation so terribly grievous that we actually believe such a heinous act as torture would ever be construed as justifiable.
