TheRedArchive

~ archived since 2018 ~

Are we more likely to classify something as torture if we are in pain?

Eric Barker
April 24, 2011

2023183793_ec4a92fc95.jpg

Photo credit

Torture is prohibited by statutes worldwide, yet the legal definition of torture is almost invariably based on an inherently subjective judgment involving pain severity. In four experiments, we demonstrate that judgments of whether specific interrogation tactics constitute torture are subject to an empathy gap: People who are experiencing even a mild version of the specific pain produced by an interrogation tactic are more likely to classify that tactic as torture or as unethical than are those who are not experiencing pain. This discrepancy could result from an overestimation of the pain of torture by people in pain, an underestimation of the pain of torture by those not in pain, or both. The fourth experiment shows that the discrepancy results from an underestimation of pain by people who are not experiencing it. Given that legal standards guiding torture are typically established by people who are not in pain, this research suggests that practices that do constitute torture are likely to not be classified as such.

Source: “What Constitutes Torture? Psychological Impediments to an Objective Evaluation of Enhanced Interrogation Tactics” from Psychological Science

I highly recommend the documentary Standard Operating Procedure which covers the events at Abu Ghraib.

You should follow me on Facebook here. I’ve started posting extra content on that page. Don’t miss out; go here and hit the “Like” button.

You can also subscribe via RSS, Twitter, or email.  Check out the site’s most popular posts of all time.

Digests of posts:

Things you didn’t know about sex

How to quickly and easily improve your life

Things you didn’t know about sports

Things you didn’t know about happiness

Things you didn’t know about lies, liars and detecting lies

Things you didn’t know about negotiation, persuasion and influence

Things you didn’t know about marriage and relationships


Tags:
Posted In:
Written By: Eric Barker

Post Details

TheRedArchive is an archive of Red Pill content, including various subreddits and blogs. This post has been archived from the blog bakadesuyo.

bakadesuyo archive

Download the post

Want to save the post for offline use on your device? Choose one of the download options below:

Post Information
Title Are we more likely to classify something as torture if we are in pain?
Author Eric Barker
Date April 24, 2011 4:03 PM UTC (12 years ago)
Blog bakadesuyo
Archive Link https://theredarchive.com/blog/bakadesuyo/are-we-more-likely-to-classify-something-as.15909
https://theredarchive.com/blog/15909
Original Link https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/04/are-we-more-likely-to-classify-something-as-t/
Red Pill terms in post
You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea.

© TheRedArchive 2024. All rights reserved.
created by /u/dream-hunter