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Torture

Thunder

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I just read a little about Medieval and earlier forms of torture.

I just don't understand how human beings could be sooo cruel.

Did we not have any sympathy for our fellow man?

Disgusting. Maybe sadism was much more common.
 
Thunder said:
I just read a little about Medieval and earlier forms of torture.

I just don't understand how human beings could be sooo cruel.

Did we not have any sympathy for our fellow man?

Disgusting. Maybe sadism was much more common.
Click to expand...

There are people who don't have any empathy for other humans. Psychologists call them sociopaths. Authoritarian rulers consider them essential and call them henchmen.
 
Thunder said:
I just read a little about Medieval and earlier forms of torture.

I just don't understand how human beings could be sooo cruel.

Did we not have any sympathy for our fellow man?

Disgusting. Maybe sadism was much more common.
Click to expand...


Look into what the Mexican cartels do to each other. Torture, dismemberment aplenty. It's part of the human condition.
 
I think it's down to culture and upbringing - I view a lot of our ethical improvement down to rising living standards and higher life expectancy.

i.e. if I might die any day, what do I care if somebody else dies? If all I know is a dog-eat-dog world then maybe I only care about being top dog (or at least am desperate to not be the one on the bottom).

When we have a bit of safety and security to enable us to think beyond our immediate survival, we have much more opportunity to think about others needs.
 
Thunder said:
I just read a little about Medieval and earlier forms of torture.

I just don't understand how human beings could be sooo cruel.

Did we not have any sympathy for our fellow man?
Click to expand...

Well you see people torture other people for multiple reasons: getting information and/or a confession, as a punishment or simply to get their rocks off. This happens all the time, hell right now someone is being tortured somewhere.

The feeling that you're doing something wrong is easy to rationalize away if people are helping you along and encourage you to do it or because people just say that "they are just criminal scum". Though plenty of people just like to torture because it feels so good, maybe not caring about such trivial details such as consent.

Disgusting. Maybe sadism was much more common.
Click to expand...

Heh, no. It was just more acceptable and institutionalized back then. Now sadists (note: one doesn't have to be a sadist to be able to torture someone) have to seek either willing people to torture and hurt or risk being thrown in jail for a long, long time.
 
I've read quite a bit on the subject myself. Although it's true that a lot of the goings on under the heading of "medieval' torture amounted to propaganda or terror...(show the accused really horrific-looking "instruments" and maybe he'll confess)
Plenty of truly nasty things were being done....And continue to be done in the basements of secret police headquarters and prisons all over the world.
Although we humans are capable of empathy, we are equally capable of dehumanizing other human beings, and it doesn't take much.
 
Did anyone else click on this thread to read about Thunder going out on another date? I feel let down . . .
 
Thunder said:
I just read a little about Medieval and earlier forms of torture.

I just don't understand how human beings could be sooo cruel.

Did we not have any sympathy for our fellow man?

Disgusting. Maybe sadism was much more common.
Click to expand...

Maybe it had something to do with Medieval child-rearing. What was considered normal back then would be considered horrifically abusive today. Warped their little minds.
 
Bikewer said:
I've read quite a bit on the subject myself. Although it's true that a lot of the goings on under the heading of "medieval' torture amounted to propaganda or terror...(show the accused really horrific-looking "instruments" and maybe he'll confess)
Plenty of truly nasty things were being done....And continue to be done in the basements of secret police headquarters and prisons all over the world.
Although we humans are capable of empathy, we are equally capable of dehumanizing other human beings, and it doesn't take much.
Click to expand...

The notion of punishment for crimes was different then, too. Rather than try to "rehabilitate" the offender or put them away for a long time at the state's expense, there was a single terrifying act of retribution.
 
Giz said:
I think it's down to culture and upbringing - I view a lot of our ethical improvement down to rising living standards and higher life expectancy.

i.e. if I might die any day, what do I care if somebody else dies? If all I know is a dog-eat-dog world then maybe I only care about being top dog (or at least am desperate to not be the one on the bottom).

When we have a bit of safety and security to enable us to think beyond our immediate survival, we have much more opportunity to think about others needs.
Click to expand...

Then add rising educational levels. The cost of a 20 year old human being that never went to school and started work at age 6 to society is very little. Once this was almost the norm. Today however most people in the developed world are in full time education until at least 18. So the cost of these people is very high. Maximum value must be extracted from them. One of these ways is treating them right. This means human rights for all. This educated person would more likely know how to get a person to co operate with them.
 
aggle-rithm said:
The notion of punishment for crimes was different then, too. Rather than try to "rehabilitate" the offender or put them away for a long time at the state's expense, there was a single terrifying act of retribution.
Click to expand...


That "single terrifying act of retribution" generally involved a fine.
 
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