How exactly should we define torture?  Can torture be morally justified, and if so, in which cases?  Can torture be used as an effective tool in times of war?  Should torture be either legalized or institutionalized?  Is there any difference between doing torture and merely allowing torture?  What do some of the various moral theories have to offer us with regard to these questions?

Some links you might want to visit before the meeting:

• The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on torture:
  http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/entries/torture/
• Text of the U.N. “Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment”:
  http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm
• Information on the “Stanford prison experiment”:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment
• Information on the “Milgram experiment”:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

Hope to see all of you there!

The Student Philosophy Society is holding the first meeting of the semester this Thursday, October 2, 2008.

All are invited to join and talk about the philosophical topics of war including: Is war justifiable?, What are the pros & cons of pacifism?, What are the pros & cons of realism?  What about just war theory?

Some websites you may want to check out before the meeting:

• http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/war/
• http://www.iep.utm.edu/w/war.htm
• http://www.iep.utm.edu/j/justwar.htm

We hope to see you there!