The Torturer's Dilemma: Analyzing the Logic of Torture for Information
The Torturer's Dilemma: Analyzing the Logic of Torture for Information
The Torturer's Dilemma: Analyzing the Logic of Torture for Information
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seen, in 16 th Century Massachusetts, mid 20 th Century Algeria, and 21 st Century America, <strong>the</strong><br />
authorities were simply unable to credibly commit to doing so, allowing captives to delay, deceive, and<br />
ultimately damage <strong>the</strong> states who persecuted <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
<strong>The</strong> deceptive cycle that I find in each case indicates that states are simply not <strong>of</strong>ten in a<br />
position to credibly commit to investigating <strong>the</strong> in<strong>for</strong>mation that captives reveal. This is not to say that<br />
torture can never work: indeed, it is entirely possible <strong>for</strong> captives to reveal true in<strong>for</strong>mation to <strong>the</strong> state,<br />
just as it is possible <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> state to reject true in<strong>for</strong>mation because it does not fit <strong>the</strong>ir prior beliefs. But<br />
it is to say that torture is unlikely to work if <strong>the</strong> players involved act rationally, even under optimal<br />
conditions. And since <strong>the</strong>re is no reason to believe in torture's efficacy from a psychological<br />
perspective, this leaves very little reason to believe that torture can work systematically. For torture has<br />
never been a question <strong>of</strong> 'just this once' under extreme circumstances: torture is a system <strong>of</strong> gaining<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation, and as such it must be evaluated as a system. And that system is least likely to work under<br />
precisely those conditions when it can most be justified: when <strong>the</strong> state lacks o<strong>the</strong>r investigative<br />
alternatives, when <strong>the</strong> captive is certain to be knowledgeable, and when time is <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> essence. <strong>The</strong><br />
ticking bomb scenario – far from justifying torture in extremis – is instead its downfall: <strong>for</strong> all <strong>the</strong><br />
captive has to do is lie while <strong>the</strong> bomb ticks silently across town.<br />
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