Cruelty: The Role Of Torture In Human Society

Torture has been prominent in human society since the dawn of civilization. Whether one believes humans have an innate cruel predisposition, or an innate sense of compassion, none can deny the unfathomable cruelty perpetrated by the human race on itself and other species. In ancient times, the act of torturing someone was not only accepted, but encouraged amongst those in power. Kings and clergymen alike used torture as an information gathering tool to cement their own (or their organization’s) power. It instilled fear into the hearts and minds of the populace due to the lack of any accurate event recording leaving the majority blind to the horrors taking place in the dungeons and prisons across the continent. As humanity grows however,

The torturer has to deal with the fact that he or she hurt another human being to the point of making them less than human (assuming they have a shred of empathy), while the victim has to deal with the physical and mental scars of being made less than human (Murray 1). Torture victims often have symptoms that one would expect of a person who has essentially lost their humanity. Victims experience a loss in the feelings of their limbs at times, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, anxiety, and an incessant paranoia (Murray 2). Victims also feel deformed on areas where they were tortured (explaining the feeling of the loss of limbs), and others are referred to as “the walking dead” due to their distant expressions and actions from the depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. A huge step in the direction of recovery of social functionality after torture comes in the form of talking to other torture survivors and sharing stories, creating a bond of trust between victims that will help them overcome their predicament (Healing the Wounds of Torture

Using torture, even for the best of reasons, is wrong and should not be legal. Subjecting prisoners to abuse leads to bad intelligence, because under torture, a detainee will tell the interrogator anything to make the pain stop. Prisoner abuses exact a terrible toll in the war of ideas, because inevitably these abuses become public. When they do, the actions of a few darken reputations in the eyes of millions and may lead to future conflict. Because of the deep psychological effects that torture has on people, prevention of torture is the main concern for anti-torture activists. Laws presented to combat torture policies are active, but despite this fact, the U.S. government still uses torture to obtain information that dictates its foreign policy. The reason that the U.S. entered Iraq was because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction. What most people don’t know is that this information that stated there were nuclear weapons in Iraq, was obtained through the torture of a suspected terrorist (Sonderreger 1). When no weapons of mass destruction were found, it meant that countless lives were wasted on the premise that the information gathered by these torturers was correct. The inaccuracy of the information gathered through torture is shown in all forms of international conflict if it is investigated enough. Through the