I think a fun class discussion topic now would be to ask how many in class would like to have worked for the CIA in helping "interrogate" such prisoners? Lead in to a focus on the justifications for such actions. Bring in the Milgram study then and other relevant news info. Many will gladly act as willing agents if you simulate the post 9-11 context. Hence, you can talk about the power of situational forces and the ethical issues of torture vs. potential, but unknown population risks. All sorts of possibilities and directions for discussion. Next time, in my social psych class, I want to explore relations between parental political interests and that of my students as they relate to these and other issues. Gary
>>> Michael Smith <[email protected]> 4/18/2009 3:29 am >>> Well, I think the original post was about ethics and thinking about them and how they are instantiated (which, of course, includes law) in situations such as obedience to authority as in the Milgram studies. The particular example of waterboarding is just an example or springboard for the discussion. My point about highest justice authority in the land was given simply because that is our highest authority of dispute reslotution over items of law and ethics. So, whether the supreme court ever got to hear and rule about this particular example is immaterial to the main discussion of ethics and obedience to authority. Indeed, if one does not obey the highest legal/ethical authority in the land one is prosecuted. So, presumably, one can be prosecuted for not obeying an authority and for obeying one (if your actions were later determined to be against the ethical considerations of some future authority). I think it would be very easy to get sidetracked into discussions about particular legal cases, but the original post as I understood it is not particularly about law, but about ethics. --Mike --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
