Torture and the military profession / Jessica Wolfendale.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolfendale, Jessica, 1973-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Military ethics.

Torture.

Physical Description:

viii, 249 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Summary:

Torture is banned in international law and condemned by government and military officials. Yet military torture is widespread. Despite the military's claim to be a profession bound by high moral standards, military personnel are involved in the illegal and immoral use of torture. This discrepancy between rhetoric and reality demands explanation. What's wrong with the military profession?

Torture and the Military Profession explores this question by bringing together a philosophical analysis of military professional ethics with an examination of military training and the training of tortures. Jessica Wolfendale argues that the discrepancy between rhetoric and reality occurs not because of human weakness but because basic and elite military training instil dispositions linked to crimes of obedience, aided by a perverted version of professionalism. By undermining the ability of military personnel to uphold the laws of war, she argues that this training seriously undermines the military's claim to be a profession.

Contents:

Professions and professional ethics

Virtue ethics and professional roles

Professional ethics and the military

Obedience in the military

Military torture

Military training and moral agency

The moral psychology of torture.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 228-235) and index.

ISBN:

0230001823

9780230001824

OCLC:

123955038

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description