We cannot torture, in other words, because of who we are. This is the best I can do, but those of us who believe this had better admit that many of our fellow citizens are bound to disagree. It is in the nature of democracy itself that fellow citizens will define their identity in ways that privilege security over liberty and thus reluctantly endorse torture in their name. If we are against torture, we are committed to arguing with our fellow citizens, not treating those who defend torture as moral monsters. Those of us who oppose torture should also be honest enough to admit that we may have to pay a price for our own convictions. Ex ante, of course, I cannot tell how high this price might be. Ex post—following another terrorist attack that might have been prevented through the exercise of coercive interrogation—the price of my scruple might simply seem too high. This is a risk I am prepared to take, but frankly, a majority of fellow citizens is unlikely to concur.
Essays: 'If torture works�' by Michael Ignatieff Prospect Magazine April 2006 issue 121
Let's be blunt: if the Liberals elect a guy who spends his political breath ruminating on torture, and having to continually explain with fine distinctions why he does not support torture, they are doomed.
Not all intellectuals are like Trudeau, Libs! Some are just pointless Nerds, like this guy! Big thumbs down from BigCityLib!
2 comments:
Truer words were never spoken.
Iggy has many faults, but this is really really weak. Have you taken an ethics class before? Questions such as these are foundational. To pretend otherwise, is ally oneself with the anti-intellectual Tory crowd.
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