Topics Ethics

Question Why should I be concerned about torture? As a middle class, white atheist living in the UK, neither I nor anyone I know is likely to suffer from it. I consider my aversion to it to be mere sentimentality. Bill Foster

Accepted:
December 9, 2005

Comments

Do you feel that way with regard to all evil? For instance, had you been a German during the Nazi period, would you have responded in the same way to the plight of the Jews, Romani, etc? Neither you nor your neighours are likely to be gassed, so....?

If you think that evil is to be opposed, and in particular, if you think that evil perpetrated by governments that represent one is to be opposed as a special obligation of citizenship, then the fact that you are not the victim is simply irrelevant.

I wonder what you believe is the relevance of the fact that you are an atheist. Perhapsyou believe that in the absence of God, nothing really counts as goodor evil, and so, for you, the only practical question that suchpractices as torture raise is whether you (or those close to you) arelikely to suffer from them. If so, then I’d suggest that you consider the following posting on the relationship between religion and morality: 27.

Question Why should I be concerned about torture? As a middle class, white atheist living in the UK, neither I nor anyone I know is likely to suffer from it. I consider my aversion to it to be mere sentimentality. Bill Foster Accepted:December 9, 2005

Question Why should I be concerned about torture? As a middle class, white atheist living in the UK, neither I nor anyone I know is likely to suffer from it. I consider my aversion to it to be mere sentimentality. Bill Foster

Accepted:
December 9, 2005