100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Previously searched by you
Previously searched by you
logo
PO382 Essay - Ticking Bomb Scenario and Torture £4.99   Add to cart
Quickly navigate to
Preview
  2.  
  3. The University Of Warwick (UoW)
  4.  
  5. Philosophy, Politics And Economics
  6.  
  7. PO382 Vigilant State - The Politics of Intelligence

Essay

PO382 Essay - Ticking Bomb Scenario and Torture
 266 views  2 purchases

This essay examines the usefulness of the ‘ticking bomb scenario’ (henceforth TBS) in determining whether torture should be used for intelligence purposes. It draws on epistemological and strategic analyses, as well as recent intelligence history, to argue that using the TBS to debate torture i...

[Show more]

Preview 1 out of 14  pages

Document information

  • May 4, 2016
  • 14
  • 2014/2015
  • Essay
  • Unknown
  • 74

Subjects

Written for

All documents for this subject (6)

Seller

avatar-seller
aclark32

Reviews received

Content preview

1104021 – PO382 Vigilant State


Does the ‘ticking bomb’ scenario help or hinder our efforts to debate the vexed
issue of torture as a form of intelligence collection?



“To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
- Mark Twain




Introduction


This essay examines the usefulness of the ‘ticking bomb scenario’ (henceforth TBS) in
determining whether torture should be used for intelligence purposes. I draw on epistemological
and strategic analyses, as well as recent intelligence history, to argue that using the TBS to debate
torture is not only futile, but actively counterproductive, and of little relevance to the moral,
consequential or legal debates on torture. Part One situates torture within the liberal discourse and
introduces the TBS in an intelligence collection context. I then consider the TBS’ deontological
value, and the various consequentialist and epistemological inconsistencies underpinning it. In Part
Two, I argue that even if the TBS were plausible, the strategic implications of institutionalisation
fatally undermine the argument for torture as an analytical tool, much less a policy instrument.1




1
Throughout, I assume the TBS is applied by a liberal regime subject to democratic checks and balances, and pursuant
of at least a basic framework of human rights and justice.


1

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller aclark32. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for £4.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

73216 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now

Start selling
£4.99  2x  sold
  • (0)
  Add to cart