Year
2014
Season
Fall
Paper Type
Master's Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Practical Philosophy and Applied Ethics (MA)
Department
Philosophy and Religious Studies
NACO controlled Corporate Body
University of North Florida. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Mitchell Haney
Second Advisor
Dr. Erinn Gilson
Third Advisor
Dr. Bryan Bannon
Department Chair
Dr. Hans-Herbert Koegler
College Dean
Dr. Barbara Hetrick
Abstract
Although torture is considered universally reprehensible by law, including international law and human convention, it occurs routinely as an acceptable and efficient method for interrogation and intimidation. The questions that follow are: What kind of person engages in/commits acts of torture? If legalized, how would torture affect morality when an individual can be instrumentally utilized as a mere means-to-an-end? How does torture affect the victim, the torturer, and society as a whole? In order to answer these questions, I will use events at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center to argue in favor of the plausibility for the concept of a non fallacious slippery slope against torture by means of theoretical and real world evidence. I will argue that each act of torture that is deemed acceptable in the eyes of any society not only corrupts the societal morality of that nation, but it also produces an increase in direct and indirect participation in such acts.
Suggested Citation
Greene-Sanders, Dominique T N, "The Plausibility of a Slippery Slope: Guantanamo Bay as an Example of Direct/Indirect Participation in Torture and the Corruption of Societal Morality" (2014). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 536.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/536