January 19, 2004
Torture and Coercion in Interrogations
The Dark Art of Interrogation is a fascinating and provocative article about coercion and torture. At the end, the author writes:
Candor and consistency are not always public virtues. Torture is a crime against humanity, but coercion is an issue that is rightly handled with a wink, or even a touch of hypocrisy; it should be banned but also quietly practiced.
It's a difficult issue and I don't know if I agree with the author's conclusion or not, but it's well worth reading regardless of how you feel about it.
I think the measure of prudential judgment of such things lies with one's opinion of capital punishment. If the government has the right/duty to take lives in pursuit of the common good then coercion does not seem out of step with the goal of protecting the common good, depending of course on the gravity of the situation. Tax evasion, for instance does not seem to allow coercion as a comensurate tactic.
Hmm.. that's an interesting point, but one that I'm not quite sure is valid. I lean towards allowing coercion while keeping it illegal (the purposeful hypocrisy the article mentions) yet I'm staunchly against the death penalty.
Of course, it's quite possible that, for the majority of people, the two are intimately related. I can only speak for myself.
Now when it comes to tax evasion, I'm sure there are people who would rather spend a week naked and cold in solitary confinement than pay their taxes. Maybe the IRS should give us the choice. :)