Review
“This book offers an interdisciplinary study of the role of interrogation and its use by the state. Michael Skerker’s approach allows the reader to view the conduct of domestic and foreign affairs through the prism of moral and political philosophy, jurisprudence, and just war theory. The result is an excellent approach to this multifaceted issue that provides insight without polemic.”—Jan Goldman, founding editor, International Journal of Intelligence Ethics
(Jan Goldman )
“No other book can be said to do what this one does, that is, provide a philosophy of interrogation that relies on a right to silence limited by the right to a relatively just legal order. An Ethics of Interrogation is sure to start an interesting discussion among philosophers, lawyers, and scholars of criminal justice.”—Michael Davis, Illinois Institute of Technology (Michael Davis )
Product Description
The act of interrogation, and debate over its use, pervade our culture, whether through fictionalized depictions in movies and television or discussions of real-life interrogations on the news. But despite daily mentions of the practice in the media, there is a lack of informed commentary on its moral implications. Moving beyond the narrow focus on torture that has characterized most work on the subject, An Ethics of Interrogation is the first book to fully address this complex issue.
In doing so Michael Skerker confronts a host of philosophical and legal issues, from the right to privacy and the privilege against compelled self-incrimination to prisoner rights and the legal consequences of different modes of arrest, interrogation, and detention. These topics raise serious questions about the morality of keeping secrets and the differences between state power at home and abroad. Thoughtful consideration of these subjects leads Skerker to specific policy recommendations for law enforcement, military, and intelligence professionals.
really interesting, actually. didn't think i'd like such a contemporary-polemic, but it was recommended to me along with a few other academic books that have just been published by the University of Chicago Press, and so far all of them seem to skip partisan alignment and petty controversialism. the others, if you're also interested, are titled: 'What Is Happening to News: The Information Explosion and the Crisis In Journalism' by Jack Fuller, 'The Atlas of World Hunger' by Thomas J. Bassett and Alex Winter-Nelson, 'Anthropology and Global Counterinsurgency', eds. John D. Kelly, Beatrice Jaurgeui, Sean T. Mitchell, Jeremy Walton and 'Terrorism: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy' by Joseba Zulaika.
i intend to read them all this summer in between all the fiction, poetry and theory. look pretty intriguing, tbh.
Last edited by Uzique (2010-06-09 08:42:29)
