Torture and the Ticking Bomb (Blackwell Public Philosophy Series),Books,Free Shipping,1405162023,

	Torture and the Ticking Bomb (Blackwell Public Philosophy Series) by Bob Brecher
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Product Details Binding Paperback Dewey Decimal Number 363.232 EAN 9781405162029 ISBN 1405162023 Manufacturer Wiley-Blackwell Number Of Items 1 Number Of Pages 136 Publication Date September 17, 2007 Publisher Wiley-Blackwell Availability Usually ships in 24 hours Product Description This timely and passionate book is the first to address itself to Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz’s controversial arguments for the limited use of interrogational torture and its legalisation. Argues that the respectability Dershowitz's arguments confer on the view that torture is a legitimate weapon in the war on terror needs urgently to be countered Takes on the advocates of torture on their own utilitarian grounds Timely and passionately written, in an accessible, jargon-free style Forms part of the provocative and timely Blackwell Public Philosophy series 'Brecher relentlessly deconstructs the most misleading hypothetical of our time. His lively and valuable book shows that even 'noble cause' torture is always counterproductive.' Geoffrey Robertson QC, Doughty Street Chambers '(Dershowitz's) premise is subjected to a withering scrutiny in this brilliant deconstruction by the moral philosopher Bob Brecher. In a comprehensive critique of the 'ticking bomb' hypothesis, Brecher exposes the moral and intellectual flaws in Dershowitz's arguments and shows how easily such pragmatic rationalisations can open the door to the creation of a 'tortuous society'. It's a task that Brecher accomplishes with grace, moral passion and unswerving logic.' Red Pepper, March 2008 'Quite simply, this book is the most powerful and comprehensive challenge available to a piece of intellectual fraud having wide commerce today – that under some hypothetical situation the infliction of pain to break another’s will is morally justifiable. The ticking bomb, in Brecher’s analysis, is a fantasy that hardly yields grounds sufficient for the employment of interrogational torture. Here the philosopher’s role towards that fantasy is quite clear: debunk it!' Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, Youngstown State University 'A splendid attack on the appalling idea of legalising torture.' Will Podmore “A salutary antidote to those who would waver on the issue [of torture]…Brecher opens up the wider utilitarian implications that arise.” Planet Magazine “Brecher … does not reflexively dismiss the advocates of torture … .He carefully cites the errors of their arguments, using logic, expert opinion, and moral reasoning.” PsycCritiques This timely and passionate book is the first to address itself to Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz’s controversial arguments for the limited use of interrogational torture and its legalisation. Argues that the respectability Dershowitz's arguments confer on the view that torture is a legitimate weapon in the war on terror needs urgently to be countered Takes on the advocates of torture on their own utilitarian grounds Timely and passionately written, in an accessible, jargon-free style Forms part of the provocative and timely Blackwell Public Philosophy series Do you really think torture is acceptable in any circumstances? The controversial arguments of Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz supporting the legalisation of torture in so-called 'ticking bomb' scenarios represent the most sophisticated and visible of recent attempts to make torture an accepted weapon in the war on terror. States and other agents engage in torture, as both sides of the debate accept. According to Bob Brecher, it is precisely because the general public are taking the 'new realism' of Dershowitz and others seriously that there is a pressing need to expose the fundamental flaws in their arguments, lest the peoples of democratic societies lose their moral compass and fail to be vigilant in holding their governments properly to account. This timely and passionate book is the first to address itself directly to the arguments for the limited use of interrogational torture and to its legalisation. Brecher takes on those arguments, drawing out the practical implications for policy and confronting the empirical question of the efficacy of torture, as well as the ethical implications. Do you really think torture is acceptable in any circumstances? The controversial arguments of Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz supporting the legalisation of torture in so-called “ticking bomb” scenarios represent the most sophisticated and visible of recent attempts to make torture an accepted weapon in the war on terror. States and other agents engage in torture, as both sides of the debate accept. According to Bob Brecher, it is precisely because the general public are taking the “new realism” of Dershowitz and others seriously that there is a pressing need to expose the fundamental flaws in their arguments, lest the peoples of democratic societies lose their moral compass and fail to be vigilant in holding their governments properly to account. This timely and passionate book is the first to address itself directly to the arguments for legalising the limited use of interrogational torture. Brecher confronts those arguments head-on, examining the efficacy of torture and drawing out the practical implications for policy as well as the ethical implications of these proposals for the kind of society we live in. Bob Brecher is Reader in Moral Philosophy at the University of Brighton, UK and Director of its Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics. He is the author of two previous books, Anselm's Argument: the Logic of Divine Existence and Getting What You Want?: a Critique of Liberal Morality (1998). He has published widely in ethics and social and political philosophy and was the founding editor of the journal Res Publica. Customers who bought this item also bought Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals Torture and Democracy Torture: A Collection The Torture Debate in America Customer Reviews for: Torture and the Ticking Bomb (Blackwell Public Philosophy Series) Rating - Dershowitz is going to be pissed! I read the book "Torture: a Collection" which has Dershowitz's argument for torture warrents in it. The problem that I had was why if we knew everything why did we not know where the bomb was located. The ticking bomb question was one that did not make sense with my experience in intellegence. At the time I almost bought into the logic, but something still nagged at me, it just did not make sense. This book takes the ticking bomb analogy apart and examines it word by word and piece by piece to determine the logic and ... Read More Rating - Essential reading Brecher's timely and powerfully argued book deserves the widest possible circulation. His convincing demolition of Dershowitz's and others' arguments for interrogational torture or its legalisation should help to save the U.S. from descending further into the barbarism entailed by the acceptance of torture. William Podmore's review below gives an accurate sketch of Brecher's main lines of argument. I would only emphasize that Brecher, like the defenders of interrogational torture or its legalisation, argues ... Read More Rating - Brilliant demolition of the argument for torture Bob Brecher, Reader in Moral Philosophy in the School of Historical and Critical Studies, the University of Brighton, has written a splendid attack on the appalling idea of legalising torture. The American civil rights lawyer Alan Dershowitz proposed introducing a torture warrant, giving intellectual respectability to the practice of torture. He suggested that torture would be justified if it forced a terrorist to divulge the location of a ticking bomb. But the ticking bomb scenario is incoherent. The more the ... Read More See all books by author Bob Brecher

Books : Torture and the Ticking Bomb (Blackwell Public Philosophy Series)