Philosophical Analysis of Terrorism and Torture Essay

Philosophical Analysis of Terrorism and Torture - Essay Example Modern wars are by design, not in alignment with the Just War Doctrine. Justification to initiate and continue a war is dependent upon the propaganda that starts before a war, continues and evolves according to the circumstances during this heinous act and subsides long after the war is over. It is therefore safe to assert that the Just War Doctrine does not in any way provide the control required to limit the violence related to war; instead it functions to guide the powerful forces to seek suitable justifications regarding initiation of the war process; no matter how misaligned the justifications. War conventions fail to substantiate in cases where the powerful forces regard their opponents as being â€Å"less than humans†. US attack on Iraq for eradication of weapons of mass-destruction can be regarded as a recent example of this scenario. Despite inflicting immense damage to the target country, no such weapons were recovered; the justification of war was hence flawed. Judging torture in the light of ethical theories can bring forth variable outcomes. The proponents of torture present it as the only available means for revelation of information that is essential to provide protection to other humans. An example in this regard is the ‘ticking bomb’ scenario that is often presented to convince people about the importance of torture as a means of ensuring the safety of masses. Judging torture from the deontological perspective brings forth the fact that torture should be avoided at all costs (Gordon 62). Since the proponents of deontological approach are inclined towards highlighting the importance of ‘duty’ without regard to the ‘outcome’; this approach demands that the general approach of treating the suspects be in accordance to the ethical principles and hence torture should be avoided at all costs. This is in contradiction to other ethical approaches which take into account the