". . . whether or not these techniques are immoral, or how immoral they are, surely depends on whether they worked”said George F. Will regarding the use of torture. How sad that anyone considers this man "conservative" or in fact listens to him at all. Although he supported a commission to study (obfuscate) the matter on ABC's This Week yesterday, Will seems to consider an extreme utilitarianism a valid moral measure. If it works to reduce crime, why not human sacrifice? Perhaps Will would like to be on the commission to "study" that.
Although the idea that a practical end justifies any means or makes crime legal or worse, is the basis of moral judgment, is frankly horrifying and although such thinking may long have been with us, it hasn't, to my knowledge been so clearly championed. The idea that such things still need to be re-examined is sickening, considering that we used opposition to this kind of Spencerian social Darwinism as a rallying cry in WW II and it's more sickening still that Will can call opposition to it "liberal" and Dick Cheney can call it "far left."
Have even the most articulate supporters of Republican policy run so far out of arguments that they have to resort to these mindless dichotomies? A cornered rat does not think of right and wrong and neither, apparently does a cornered Republican. It's just me against you and anything I do to you is justified.
When ideology is no longer based upon ideals but rather used as justification (The "liberals' are investigating so I have to support the action) then it is obvious that the side that resorts to justification as a defining aspect of ideology is morally and theoretically bankrupt.
ReplyDeleteWhen all you can do is define yourself by those you are against and the only reason you are against them is because they are "liberals" then you are irrelevant and devoid of any original thoughts and or ideas.
Maybe it's just me, but I believe in the core of my being that had it been a liberal president and vice president who presided over torture--which in some cases led to death--as a means of extracting information, Mr. Will would have mounted a very tall horse and ridden it to the far corners of this country warning its citizens about the collapse of the moral fiber of this nation, led by its immoral liberal leaders.
ReplyDelete"". . . whether or not these techniques are immoral, or how immoral they are, surely depends on whether they worked”
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Mr. Will would accept this argument: "Yes, it was immoral to rape and beat that woman, but it worked- I got laid. So it was okay."
Same thing, as far as I can see.
I think he would but he'd be able to make it sound very erudite. That the end justifies immoral means is no worse than many things he's couched in his oily logic.
ReplyDeleteHe argued fiercely that it was wrong to hold cigarette companies liable for years of having told us smoking was good for the throat and not addictive while adding extra addictive compounds to the formula and suppressing proof that it was carcinogenic and lobbying congress successfully to leave them alone for decades.
I wonder how much R.J. Reynolds stock he owned at the time.