"Torture: Current Issues" is the title of a public forum led by David Holiday, ethics fellow for Coastal Carolina University's Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values, as part of the Philosopher's Corner series on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 4 p.m. in the James J. Johnson Auditorium. No ticket is required for the event, and it is open to the public.

Holiday believes that torture is a violation of human dignity and autonomy, and thus is abhorrent to modern democratic society. It is also strictly prohibited in international law. Nonetheless, the practice has proved extremely difficult to stamp out.

Holiday will discuss what torture is; torture as a moral and political phenomenon; where, why and how it happens; the prohibitions on torture in human rights law and the laws of war; and some pressing current issues in the fight to finally and fully eradicate torture from the world.

Holiday received a bachelor's degree from Balliol College, Oxford, a master's degree from Edinburgh University, and his doctorate from the University of Chicago. His work is primarily focused on moral theory, moral psychology and the history of ethics. However, he also works on the philosophy of human rights, with interests in the foundational concepts and norms that shape contemporary thought about global justice such as sovereignty, dignity and equality.

Philosopher's Corner is a forum sponsored by the Jackson Family Center to create opportunities for open conversations about how ethics and values affect individuals, the University, the region and the world. It aims to inspire individuals to make ethical and value-based decisions, and thus lead lives of courage, compassion and integrity.

For more information on the Jackson Center, call 843-349-2547 or visit the center in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts in Room 232A, located at 133 Chanticleer Drive W. on the Conway campus.

Johnson Auditorium is in Room 116 of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration Building, located at 119 Chanticleer Drive E. on the Conway campus.