How to Justify Torture cover

How to Justify Torture

by Alex Adams

**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.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?