How to Justify Torture
Inside the Ticking Bomb Scenario

Name: How to Justify Torture
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Alex Adams
ISBN: 9781094024196

Author: Alex Adams

Narrator: Antony Ferguson

Unabridged: 3 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 09/10/2019

Categories: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy

Synopsis

From Batman Begins to Tom Clancy, How to Justify Torture shows how contemporary culture creates simplified narratives about good guy torturers and bad guy victims, how dangerous this is politically, and what we can do to challenge it.The ticking bomb scenario is a thought experiment designed to demonstrate that torture can be justified in emergency conditions. If there was a bomb hidden somewhere in a major city, would it be justified to torture a captured informant in order to obtain the critical information that could prevent a devastating terrorist attack? In How to Justify Torture, cultural critic Alex Adams examines this thought experiment in depth by exploring the wide range of cultural productions—from military thrillers, through superhero movies, to home-invasion narratives—which repeatedly ask us this question about torture. By critiquing the argument step by step, this short, provocative book reminds us why torture can never be justified.

About Alex Adams

Alex Adams is a literary and cultural critic and novelist based in northeast England. He was awarded his PhD from Newcastle University in 2014 and has published widely on the subject of torture and popular culture. He likes real ale and dogs.

About Antony Ferguson

AudioFile Earphones Award winner Antony Ferguson is a native of London, England. He is a classically trained actor and has appeared in numerous productions in London, Off-Broadway, and regional theater. As a voice actor, he has over fifty audiobooks to his credit and was recommended by the "All About Romance" Web site as one of the best male narrators at performing female characters. He lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mohammed

يتناول كتاب "كيف يُبرّر التعذيب؟: في عمق سيناريو القنبلة الموقوتة" - والذي أصدرناه في منشورات تكوين ضمن سلسلة تساؤلات هذا العام - هشاشة حجج المنادين بالتعذيب من زاوية "سيناريو القنبلة الموقوتة". ينقسم الكتاب ل ثلاثة محاور أساسية: ١.كيف يتم جعل التعذيب أداة تحقيق. ٢. تصوير التعذيب بأنه أقل الشرور بل ت......more

Goodreads review by Sam

A time-sensitive explosive is about to detonate, killing hundreds if not thousands of innocent people. Only one person knows the location of the explosive, and they're not talking. Is it moral to torture one guilty person to save thousands of innocent people? That is a thought experiment as old as t......more

Goodreads review by Hassan

سيناريو القنبلة الموقوتة هو اختبار فكري افتراضي يستخدم للتشكيك في جدوى حظر التعذيب بل يحاول تبريره (تبرير التعذيب) عن طريق التلاعب بردود الأفعال العاطفية لدى الجماهير. فهو يخلق سياقًا من الخوف والغضب، كما يحرف الظروف كي يثير التعاطف بل وحتى الإعجاب بمن يقوم بالتعذيب ويخلق شعوراً بالبغض أو عدم المبال......more

Goodreads review by Morgan

If blue balls was a book. We get it. Torture is bad and is a tool most commonly used by totalitarian institutions and governments and we’ve become desensitized to its immorality thanks to post 9/11 media. It’s great to poke holes in a belief or hypothetical scenario. But not once was an alternative......more

Goodreads review by علي

يحاول العملُ منذ مطلعه بمقدّمته الطويلة أن يجيب عن هذا السؤال الفلسفي الأخلاقي، هل يمكن أن يبرّر التعذيب؟ ويطرح فكرة (القنبلة الموقوتة والإرهاب) في معرض الإجابة. ثمّ يقوم بتفكيك ودحض تلك الفكرة، مشيرا إلى سذاجتها، ويقول إنّها سيناريو مضحك، غير واقعي وغير مقنع بالأدلّة المنطقيّة، ولا يعوّل عليه في فعل......more

Quotes

“As passionate as it is rigorous…Anyone sickened by the global re-emergence of torture as a ‘tool of justice’ will find resources for resistance here.” Bob Brecher, professor of philosophy, University of Brighton