Consequentialism is Always a Faustian Bargain

After all those years of Catholics arguing for the mortal sin of torture in my comboxes, twisting themselves in a vast catalog of logical pretzels to do it, it turns out that in addition to being gravely evil, torture (as we should have known all along) doesn’t work.

Of course, the Republicans on the committee, for whom torture remains a core value and one of the deep loves of their constituency, dissent from the findings of experts and interrogators who, you know, know what they are talking about. After all, who wants to admit to being a supporter of (and perhaps responsible for) war crimes?

“To get the man’s soul and give him nothing in return — that is what really gladdens Our Father’s heart.” – Uncle Screwtape