Last week I attended the talk given by Nick Cheesman and his colleague Pornpen. It was very interesting, and currently very relevant, to hear about the role of torture in states where there is currently much political unrest.
While discussing the situation in South East Asia, specifically Myanmar and Thailand, I found myself most impacted by something Dr. Cheesman said regarding the way we look at torture. Dr. Cheesman asserted that the question “Does torture work?” is itself unnecessary and even harmful. He said that the question often directs attention away from the deeper moral issues of torture, and, while a popular question, is not one worthy of consideration.
I had never quite thought that way about the issue of torture, because I think that, in America, the issue of torture centers on its status as a “necessary evil.” Our society is very much one where the utilitarianism of a practice is considered above all else. Perhaps this is the nature of capitalism, or merely a product of our society. However, in consideration of Dr. Cheesman’s statement, I think it is important that we make a point to conserve morality above utilitarianism. This has implications beyond torture, for the availability of healthcare, social programs, environmental concerns, etc. This may be contrary to our current system, but I think that this change of perspective would do much to improve the state of our country.