Does Torture 'Work'?
The media and Capitol Hill like to pontificate about the efficacy of torture and whether or not it produces actionable, truthful intelligence. Interrogators with any credibility are paraded in news interviews, all of them yelling from the rooftops that torture (Enhanced Interrogation Techniques) works...or it doesn't. The ‘answer’ to the question seems to depend on who you ask.
I’d like to address the stunning stupidity of the entire debate. What if I asked you the following question:
“Does breaking into people’s homes guarantee you’ll get expensive jewelry?”
This question is equally as nonsensical as, "Does torture work?”.
The answer is, it depends.
Let’s stick with the robbery metaphor for just a minute. Whether or not you’re going to get lots of expensive jewelry depends on several factors. For fun, let’s make a small list:
These are only some of the potential factors that prove the original question to be a stupid one. It depends.
Whether or not torture works is highly dependent on the scenario. Torture is more likely to be effective with certain people, at certain times, with certain information and with certain measures. Look at the following list of questions and compare them to the robbery questions:
Does torture work? This profoundly ridiculous question assumes that all people respond exactly the same to all methods.
For anyone with advanced training in behavior sciences to pronounce that torture is incapable of working in any situation ever is an act of ignorance. While it has been shown (for a thousand years or so) to be ineffective at getting to the truth, there does exist situations where the precise, calculated application of Enhanced Techniques could result in actionable intelligence.
While I’m against torture, and am a strong proponent of FBI-standard interrogation practices that hinge on rapport development, I disagree with the vehement certainty of ‘experts’ that have a hard line answer to such a silly question.
So... Does torture ‘work’? Or is it a silly question?
Perhaps we should be asking about the course America should take, and the ethical boundaries we should set, instead of debating a question with thousands of variables and no clear answer to begin with.
What do you think?
I’d like to address the stunning stupidity of the entire debate. What if I asked you the following question:
“Does breaking into people’s homes guarantee you’ll get expensive jewelry?”
This question is equally as nonsensical as, "Does torture work?”.
The answer is, it depends.
Let’s stick with the robbery metaphor for just a minute. Whether or not you’re going to get lots of expensive jewelry depends on several factors. For fun, let’s make a small list:
- What type of neighborhood is it?
- Are the occupant’s likely to have what you’re looking for?
- Has it been proven that it’s in the house?
- Is there someone with a gun in the house waiting for you?
- Is the person with the gun highly trained?
- Is the jewelry locked up?
- Is the jewelry in a place where it can be found?
These are only some of the potential factors that prove the original question to be a stupid one. It depends.
Whether or not torture works is highly dependent on the scenario. Torture is more likely to be effective with certain people, at certain times, with certain information and with certain measures. Look at the following list of questions and compare them to the robbery questions:
- What area of the world is this?
- Does the culture believe in suffering for a cause?
- Is the person likely to have what you’re looking for?
- Has it been proven that there is at least SOME information known by the person?
- Has the person received advanced counter-interrogation training?
- Has the person been trained to resist classical methods?
- Is the person weak-willed or strong-willed?
- Does the interrogator have enough information to compel confession?
- Is the desired information available at all?
Does torture work? This profoundly ridiculous question assumes that all people respond exactly the same to all methods.
For anyone with advanced training in behavior sciences to pronounce that torture is incapable of working in any situation ever is an act of ignorance. While it has been shown (for a thousand years or so) to be ineffective at getting to the truth, there does exist situations where the precise, calculated application of Enhanced Techniques could result in actionable intelligence.
While I’m against torture, and am a strong proponent of FBI-standard interrogation practices that hinge on rapport development, I disagree with the vehement certainty of ‘experts’ that have a hard line answer to such a silly question.
So... Does torture ‘work’? Or is it a silly question?
Perhaps we should be asking about the course America should take, and the ethical boundaries we should set, instead of debating a question with thousands of variables and no clear answer to begin with.
What do you think?
