Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > The Academy > Tilted Philosophy


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 10-21-2004, 12:32 PM   #1 (permalink)
Tilted
 
Is it right to use the results of torture in medical science.

Okay so say we had some reseach done by some very nasty people who used very nasty methods. Is it right to use that research, if it can help future medical science.

Assuming ofcourse such use wouldnt encourage futher torture.
daking is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 01:37 PM   #2 (permalink)
zen_tom
Guest
 
depends what that research discovered.
 
Old 10-21-2004, 01:40 PM   #3 (permalink)
is KING!
 
bparker805's Avatar
 
Location: On the path to Valhalla.
well, let's imagine for a second that the Nazis had found the cure to cancer. Im not advocating thier methods... but should we just let millions of more people die? IMHO, use the damn cure!
bparker805 is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 01:43 PM   #4 (permalink)
zen_tom
Guest
 
exactly - medical science uses some techniques that would made many people uncomfortable - I don't think that's ever stopped anyone taking a pill.

The answer is already out there, and the answer is currently, and always has been yes.
 
Old 10-21-2004, 01:43 PM   #5 (permalink)
Upright
 
I'd say if it didn't encourage further torture then definately. Why not? The torture has already been done - you can't change that. It just wouldn't make sense not to use it.
Gopher is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 01:55 PM   #6 (permalink)
Tilted
 
What about if you wasnt sure wether the results obtained from torture would lead directly to a cure/discovery? If you were a government who possessed these documents, would it be right to release them to anyone that asks?
daking is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 02:01 PM   #7 (permalink)
Upright
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by daking
If you were a government who possessed these documents, would it be right to release them to anyone that asks?
Now that covers something that crosses the border between philosophy and politics.
Gopher is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 02:09 PM   #8 (permalink)
zen_tom
Guest
 
Have you an example in mind? If it wasn't obvious whether the research would have led to a discovery, the chances are that it wasn't very good research. No harm in distributing information, as long as it is done with tact, to the right people.
 
Old 10-21-2004, 02:16 PM   #9 (permalink)
Brooding.
 
stonegrody's Avatar
 
Location: CA-USA
I wouldn't want to be tortured for nothing!
__________________
This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality. Embrace this moment. Remember. We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion.

Tool - Parabola
stonegrody is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 02:18 PM   #10 (permalink)
zen_tom
Guest
 
I'd rather not get tortured at all thanks very much. The knowledge that the result of that torture helped some scientists really wouldn't make me feel a whole lot better about the experience.
 
Old 10-21-2004, 02:30 PM   #11 (permalink)
Sky Piercer
 
CSflim's Avatar
 
Location: Ireland
Of course it is acceptable.
The damage has already been done, and nothing can change that. Choosing to ignore some valuable research that has already been done is just plain obstinate.
__________________
CSflim is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 03:55 PM   #12 (permalink)
Twitterpated
 
Suave's Avatar
 
Location: My own little world (also Canada)
Yes. They use this sort of "existing situation" research all the time, when a true experiment conducted by the scientist would be unethical. For example, they've studied extreme social isolation in children by observing feral children, and the experiments carried out on Jews by Nazi scientists during the WWII period were immensely helpful in fields such as aeronautics and medical science.

At least from these bad situations, some good can come.
Suave is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 05:19 PM   #13 (permalink)
Upright
 
Location: Knoxville Tn
Hmm, so far the people here have been talking about 2 different situations:

1. Research has already been done, should it be used.

2. Condoning research of this nature.

IMO, you can't change the past, but there is no reason to NOT use the information gained. However, the ends do NOT justify the means, so anyone who is involved in the research or who stands to directly gain from the research should be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the harshest law.

Let me put it this way: How would you have felt to be the guinea pig?
anonymity_sucks is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 07:38 PM   #14 (permalink)
Insane
 
Location: Alton, IL
I believe that the research might as well be used since it already exists. I don't necessarily support the torture of people for medical research, but it would do more to honor the victims by using the information to benefit mankind than destroy it and add salt to an already open wound.
gondath is offline  
Old 10-21-2004, 09:10 PM   #15 (permalink)
MSD
The sky calls to us ...
 
MSD's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: CT
Was it wrong to take the WWII-era Japanese human vivisection experiment results and research them in order to better understand our bodies as long as we did not allow these experiments to continue? Of course, we hired a bunch of thier scientists to work alongside Nazis after teh war, but that's another subject.

Is it wrong to study the religion of ancient Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, etc. because the religions focused on human sacrifice and what modern humans would consider self-mutilation?

If people were tortured and a huge advance was made because of it, it was not right to torture those people, but refusing to use the technological advance is an insult to them. If I'm going to die in an unpleasant way, I'll be pissed if someone thinks that the inhumane treatment while I'm alive is a reason to not use it. It's adding insult to injury. I'd also want those responsible to be punsihed so that the development would not set a precedent for human torture in medical procedures.
MSD is offline  
Old 10-22-2004, 02:52 AM   #16 (permalink)
d*d
Addict
 
d*d's Avatar
 
it'd be rude not ot
d*d is offline  
Old 11-04-2004, 06:36 AM   #17 (permalink)
Oh dear God he breeded
 
Seer666's Avatar
 
Location: Arizona
Yes. At least that way you can give their pain and death some sort of meaning. Each life saved by their pain is an honor to what they gave up.
__________________
Bad spellers of the world untie!!!

I am the one you warned me of

I seem to have misplaced the bullet with your name on it, but I have a whole box addressed to occupant.
Seer666 is offline  
Old 11-04-2004, 06:54 AM   #18 (permalink)
Devoted
 
Redlemon's Avatar
 
Donor
Location: New England
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suave
...and the experiments carried out on Jews by Nazi scientists during the WWII period were immensely helpful in fields such as aeronautics and medical science.
Do you have any links to further information on that subject? In the past I've wondered if anything good came out of that horror, and it was the first thing that came to my mind when I read the thread title.
Redlemon is offline  
Old 11-04-2004, 11:45 AM   #19 (permalink)
Insane
 
Location: MD
Here's a link to some stuff. Too much to post.

http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/en...mentation.html
avhg1 is offline  
Old 11-04-2004, 12:32 PM   #20 (permalink)
Stonerific
 
drawerfixer's Avatar
 
Location: Colorado
Nazis weren't the only ones.

Tuskegee Experiments

Tuskegee Experiments 2

Use the research for the advancement of science and medicine, but never allow unethical experiments such as the above.
drawerfixer is offline  
Old 11-04-2004, 12:51 PM   #21 (permalink)
Devoted
 
Redlemon's Avatar
 
Donor
Location: New England
Quote:
Originally Posted by avhg1
Here's a link to some stuff. Too much to post.

http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/en...mentation.html
A good list, but that only shows the horrors that they did, not if anyone has utilized the results of the tests for something positive.
Redlemon is offline  
Old 11-04-2004, 01:33 PM   #22 (permalink)
Upright
 
Kantian ethics suggest this is wrong. The reason being his whole catagorical imperative. But I won't get into that in too much detail.

Consider this scenario:

10 people have cancer, 1 bum on the street holds the cure. Imagine killing bum to save the 10 people. Sounds great, right? well, not according to Kant. He suggests that those 10 people who were saved would, by proxy, be murders too. Their life depends on the murder of the bum. Murdering is wrong, ergo, one should not murder the bum, even for 10 lives.

Kant believed in the concept of a priori universal Truths (something that has been put to death, surely). I am not doing him justice, however. But in this case, Kant seems to have a pretty solid idea.
RedbeardUH is offline  
Old 11-04-2004, 06:04 PM   #23 (permalink)
Banned
 
Zeraph's Avatar
 
Location: The Cosmos
Heck yes, if I was tortured I'd not want to die/be tortured in vain!
Zeraph is offline  
Old 11-12-2004, 11:47 PM   #24 (permalink)
Crazy
 
Location: California
If it won't encourage any further torture, then let the torturees have died for something good that benefits everyone else. But torture IS bad...
joeshoe is offline  
Old 11-21-2004, 09:47 PM   #25 (permalink)
Sen
Insane
 
Sen's Avatar
 
Location: Midwest
Yes. Obviously, I wouldn't advocate torture as a means for collecting medical data, but if a rogue state or scientist does and gains valuable knowledge it would be a waste to ignore it.
__________________
"I want to announce my presence with authority!"

"You want to what?"

"I want to announce my presence with authority!!"
Sen is offline  
Old 11-22-2004, 11:53 AM   #26 (permalink)
Upright
 
Location: Albany
It would seem obvious that torture is bad. But I have to agree with alot of people here. It would seem to me to be the worst decision anyone could make to remain willfully ignorent in any situation. While most don't support torture, not to use knowledge for positive outcomes, regardless of the way that knowledge was aquired, is insane. Proliferating that method of aquisition would be wrong. While the ends do not justify the means, this is ex post facto.
__________________
"When your men get home and face an anti-war protestor, tell them to look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy."
~ General Tommy Franks
luvthefun is offline  
Old 11-22-2004, 04:16 PM   #27 (permalink)
Psycho
 
noodles's Avatar
 
Location: sc
not quoting anyone, just stating my opinion:

it is not right, obviously, to torture in order to gain results or to essentially prod another to torture in order to gain the results. torture is very bad and should be prevented if at all possible.

it is right, however, to use the results of torture if the torture has already happened and was not preventable. mengele and others were going to torture those people for their own gain no matter what. i think it is wrong to ignore the results they obtained because the people are dead and tortured no matter what, ignoring the results will have condemned the people to a death even more devoid of purpose than it already is.
noodles is offline  
Old 11-24-2004, 02:28 PM   #28 (permalink)
Upright
 
No knowledge in and of itself is good or bad. The act committed to obtain the knowledge may be despicable or worse. However, the knowledge obtained is separate from the act to obtain it. The usefulness of the knowledge is not in any way connected to the act. Thus, if the knowledge could be used for benefit, why should that not be the case? Now, all that said, it is still not generally acceptable to torture people.
kirth gersen is offline  
Old 11-24-2004, 08:32 PM   #29 (permalink)
Tilted
 
Location: Salt Lake City
I understand the point of this thread and the most obvious example would be the Nazi experiments during WWII.

I believe it has been shown thru repeated studies that the data obtained in these studies is not scientifically stringent (i.e. has not been peer reviewed, etc....).

Based on the above premise I would have to say that the data obtained thru torture is not valid and could perhaps lead to more misery.
belkins is offline  
Old 11-26-2004, 08:18 PM   #30 (permalink)
Psycho
 
papermachesatan's Avatar
 
Location: Texas
It would be wrong to have it and not use it. Not using isn't going to reverse the fact that torture occured. The results should be used but the researchers guilty of torture should be prosecuted and all research halted.
papermachesatan is offline  
Old 11-27-2004, 03:55 AM   #31 (permalink)
Banned
 
what do you mean by torture
i've stuck needles in mice before and they squirm and squeak
coash is offline  
Old 12-04-2004, 10:15 PM   #32 (permalink)
My custom title's the shit!
 
Zephyr66's Avatar
 
Location: Canada
when i read the title, i had the same answer as most everybody else who posted here, why not use it? the information is the same no matter how it was collected
Zephyr66 is offline  
Old 12-06-2004, 02:31 PM   #33 (permalink)
is awesome!
 
Locobot's Avatar
 
No, obviously. If you have ethical standards on how you obtain information and you use information obtained through unethical methods then you are condoning and participating in those unethical methods. The ends do not justify the means. Ethical standards are just as important as any other scientific standard or method. No knowledge exists in a vacuum. To use this knowledge would create more problems than it might solve.

Concentration camp "experiments" were not ethical therefore they were not scientific.
Locobot is offline  
Old 12-06-2004, 02:48 PM   #34 (permalink)
Junkie
 
filtherton's Avatar
 
Location: In the land of ice and snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Locobot
Concentration camp "experiments" were not ethical therefore they were not scientific.
A lack of ethics doesn't make something unscientific.

If the data is useful, than i think ethically we are obligated to use it. This does not imply support for torture.
filtherton is offline  
Old 12-07-2004, 08:01 AM   #35 (permalink)
is awesome!
 
Locobot's Avatar
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by filtherton
A lack of ethics doesn't make something unscientific.

If the data is useful, than i think ethically we are obligated to use it. This does not imply support for torture.

I'm sorry, but you're dead wrong about this and I encourage you to do some research. All science must satisfy both the ethics of topics and findings (morality), and the ethics of method and process (integrity). Concentration camp "experiments" rarely met the standard of integrity and never met the standard of morality therefore they cannot be considered scientific.
Locobot is offline  
Old 12-07-2004, 12:15 PM   #36 (permalink)
Junkie
 
filtherton's Avatar
 
Location: In the land of ice and snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Locobot
I'm sorry, but you're dead wrong about this and I encourage you to do some research. All science must satisfy both the ethics of topics and findings (morality), and the ethics of method and process (integrity). Concentration camp "experiments" rarely met the standard of integrity and never met the standard of morality therefore they cannot be considered scientific.
I guess i was using the "of or employing the scientific method" as my definition of scientific. I don't make the distinction between morality. Science is science, regardless of the morality of the experiments. Scientific integrity is different than ethical or moral integrity. Or maybe i should say, useful data can be culled from experiments, even though the experiments themselves lacked morality. I wasn't considering data integrity or accuracy to be a matter of ethics, at least not the same kind of ethics we consider when discussing torture.
filtherton is offline  
Old 12-07-2004, 02:37 PM   #37 (permalink)
is awesome!
 
Locobot's Avatar
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by filtherton
I guess i was using the "of or employing the scientific method" as my definition of scientific. I don't make the distinction between morality. Science is science, regardless of the morality of the experiments. Scientific integrity is different than ethical or moral integrity. Or maybe i should say, useful data can be culled from experiments, even though the experiments themselves lacked morality. I wasn't considering data integrity or accuracy to be a matter of ethics, at least not the same kind of ethics we consider when discussing torture.

What makes you think that the scientific method doesn't include ethical standards? Data culled from unethical sources is irrevocably flawed and would be a faulty starting point to continue any scientific endevour. If the subject is being maliciously harmed in the process of experimentation how could you possibly hope to gain useful information?
Locobot is offline  
Old 12-07-2004, 03:03 PM   #38 (permalink)
Junkie
 
filtherton's Avatar
 
Location: In the land of ice and snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Locobot
What makes you think that the scientific method doesn't include ethical standards? Data culled from unethical sources is irrevocably flawed and would be a faulty starting point to continue any scientific endevour. If the subject is being maliciously harmed in the process of experimentation how could you possibly hope to gain useful information?
I don't follow. How is data culled from unethical sources irrevocably flawed? Let's use animal testing as an example. Obviously, many people feel animal testing, even for potentially life saving medical procedures, is unethical. Despite this fact, valuable scientific information is gleaned from the arguably(but not by me) unethical practice of animal testing every day. The fact that the experiment doesn't pass the ethical smell test for some people doesn't render the resulting data flawed or useless.
filtherton is offline  
Old 12-07-2004, 04:09 PM   #39 (permalink)
is awesome!
 
Locobot's Avatar
 
Nothing in your hypothetical "animal testing" example fits the criteria of malicious harm. I'm even fine with experiments with humans that result in grievous bodily harm and even death if the experiment is conducted ethically. Doctors who study medicines for terminal illnesses often knowingly give their patients a placebo instead of anything that might cure them. The difference is that those patients give their consent and know that the medicine they receive might be a sugar pill. If their consent is a result of coersion then the experiment is unethical and therefore unvalid.

Of course ethical standards are a highly charged political subject, but they must be in place in order to gather scientific data. Some ethical standards come from our laws, but the vast majority comes from the scientific community itself. Scientists decide the validity of others' scientific work, this applies to all methodology including ethics.
Locobot is offline  
Old 12-08-2004, 11:50 AM   #40 (permalink)
Junkie
 
filtherton's Avatar
 
Location: In the land of ice and snow.
My point is that 2+2, no matter how malicious the addition, will always be 4. If i want to test the conductivity of the human body on unwilling participants and i do so carefully, i will end up with accurate data on the conductivity of the human body, despite the fact that my participants were unwilling and i acted with malice.

Ideally, i would never use torture as a means of scientificall examining the world. But i don't think that data resulting from experiments involving torture are necessrily flawed.
filtherton is offline  
 

Tags
medical, results, science, torture

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:48 PM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360