Torture—Is it Ever Ethical? Status: Not Yet COMPETENCIES TO MASTER • • • • • • Can describe major traditions in moral philosophy Can identify key figures in the field of moral philosophy and explain their views Can research an academic topic and summarize findings in writing Can critique and edit his/her own writing Can recognize and articulate the ethical implications of contemporary issues Can identify and evaluate ethical arguments Overview You are a freelance journalist. The editor of a popular blog on modern ethical issues has asked you to write an article that provides a historical perspective on the modern debate regarding the use of torture. She has asked you to read and analyze three articles, each making an argument about whether or not torture can ever be considered ethical. It is your job to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the three articles’ arguments and to consider what two important philosophers, John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant, would have to say about them. Directions Use the Project resources to familiarize yourself with the ethical ideas of Mill and Kant, and read the three articles provided. Then follow the instructions in the Organizer, located in Project resources, to prepare for writing your article. DELIVERABLES • Completed Organizer Accepted File Types: .doc, .docx, .odt, .rtf, .txt, .pdf • Final Draft of Article Suggested Word Count: 800 Accepted File Types: .doc, .docx, .odt, .rtf, .txt, .pdf • Rough Draft of Article Accepted File Types: .doc, .docx, .odt, .rtf, .txt, .pdf PROJECT RESOURCES “In Defense of Torture” by Sam Harris Analyze this opinion article using the table in the organizer. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-harris/in-defense-of-torture_b_8993.html “Because It Is Wrong”: A Meditation on Torture, with Charles and Gregory Fried Analyze this opinion article using the table in the organizer. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129780844?storyId=129780844 “Rules Should Govern Torture, Dershowitz Says,” with Alan Dershowitz Analyze this opinion article using the table in the organizer. https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=5512634 Michael Sandel’s lecture for Harvard University (2005) “What’s the Right Thing to Do?” This lecture covers several different ethical dilemmas, including the justifiability of torture. https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_sandel_what_s_the_right_thing_to_do John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism on Victorian Web Read this introduction to Mill’s theory of Utilitarianism. http://www.victorianweb.org/philosophy/utilitarianism.html Utilitarianism: Crash Course Philosophy Watch this video to learn more about Utilitarianism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a739VjqdSI&feature=youtu.be Immanuel Kant and Duty-Based Ethics This web page provides an overview of duty-based ethics. Read everything except the section about Rossian ethics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction/duty_1.shtml#h Kant & Categorical Imperatives: Crash Course Philosophy Watch this video to learn about Kant and the Categorical Imperative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw Podcast on John Stuart Mill’s “Utilitarianism” Listen to this podcast to learn about John Stuart Mill’s theories in moral philosophy, including his concept of Utilitarianism. This resource also contains a transcript of the podcast. http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/0/a/b/0ab06c792dbf5a64/Crisput.MP3?c_id=1779029&expiration=1516822 697&hwt=8aa076e3ebc3b82e9a442469b0b31aaf A Framework for Ethical Decision Making Read this article, which defines ethics and explains various approaches to ethical decisions. https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/a-framework-for-ethicaldecision-making/ Revising Drafts Use this resource to learn about critiquing and editing your own writing. https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/ Organizer Part I: Resource Companion Instructions: Complete this section of the Organizer as you are exploring the resources to take notes on each philosopher’s ideas and how they might apply to the issue of torture. Using your own words, respond to the following questions. 1. Michael Sandel identifies two types of moral reasoning. What are they? Briefly describe each. 2. What is the “principle of utility” according to Mill? Explain what Mill means by “utilitarianism.” According to Sandel’s lecture, which type of moral reasoning, does Mill’s utilitarianism use? 3. Define the terms “categorical and “imperative.” 4. What is Kant’s “categorical imperative”? Explain what Kant means by the humanity and universal law versions of his categorical imperative. According to Sandel’s lecture which type of moral reasoning does Kant use? 5. Use the table below to apply each philosophy to the use of torture. Mill What would each philosopher conclude about the ethics of Kant using torture? How would he argue that? (In other words, what would be his evidence?) 6. Which philosopher do you agree with? Why? Part II: Article Analysis Instructions: Read the following three articles: ● “In Defense of Torture” by Sam Harris ● “‘Because It Is Wrong:’ A Meditation on Torture,” with Charles and Gregory Fried ● “Rules Should Govern Torture, Dershowitz Says,” with Alan Dershowitz 7. Use the table below to analyze the arguments and evidence of each article. In Defense of Torture What ethical arguments are being made? What evidence is being given? What kind of moral reasoning is being used? Which philosopher would likely support it? Are there any flaws or holes in the argument? How could you argue against it? “Because It Is Wrong:” A Meditation on Torture Rules Should Govern Torture, Dershowitz Says Part III: Rough Draft Instructions: Write a rough draft of your article. Save a copy that you can submit later. Your article should include the following: ● Overview of the ideas of Mill and Kant as they relate to ethics ● Discussion of what Mill and Kant would say about torture ● Analysis of the arguments, evidence, and flaws of the three articles ● Comparison of the authors’ positions and the positions of Mill and Kant ● Explanation of the ethical issues around torture Note that your article must represent your own work and be expressed in your own words. If you use someone else’s words, you need to quote them and cite your source using APA format. Part IV: Writing Editing Form Instructions: Write and polish a final draft. Use this Writing Editing Form to track the critique of your own work and explain major revisions you make from your rough draft to your final draft. Before you make any revisions, read and review your rough draft. Focus on things like content and organization—don’t worry about spelling and mechanics just yet. Then, using the chart below, identify the three most important aspects of your writing that work well in your draft. Next, identify the three most important aspects of your writing that need more work. Be specific. Works Well Needs More Work 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. Once you have identified your changes, begin revising your rough draft. Once you have finished making your major changes, proofread to check for errors in spelling and mechanics. Finally, use the chart below to give three examples of sentences that you changed for your final draft. Sentence Before Editing 1. Sentence After Editing 1. 2. 2. 3. 3.