Overview

Experts in the intelligence community say that torture is ineffective. Yet much of the public appears unconvinced: surveys show that nearly half of Americans think that torture can be acceptable for counterterrorism purposes. Why do people persist in supporting torture-and can they be persuaded to change their minds? In Tortured Logic, Erin M. Kearns and Joseph K. Young draw upon a novel series of group experiments to understand how and why the average citizen might come to support the use of torture techniques. They find evidence that when torture is depicted as effective in the media, people are more likely to approve of it. Their analysis weighs variables such as the ethnicity of the interrogator and the suspect; the salience of one's own mortality; and framing by experts. Kearns and Young also examine who changes their opinions about torture and how, demonstrating that only some individuals have fixed views while others have more malleable beliefs. They argue that efforts to reduce support for torture should focus on convincing those with fluid views that torture is ineffective. The book features interviews with experienced interrogators and professionals working in the field to contextualize its findings. Bringing empirical rigor to a fraught topic, Tortured Logic has important implications for understanding public perceptions of counterterrorism strategy.

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9780231188968

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Reviews

Tortured Logic is written by two stellar researchers, one a political scientist and the other a criminologist, which gives this book a strong interdisciplinary perspective. Together, the two authors bring an array of skills that make them well suited to produce a volume of this caliber. -- Victor Asal, University at Albany, State University of New York In Tortured Logic, Kearns and Young use clever experiments and careful interviews to provide compelling evidence that public support for torture depends on context. That public support for government violence is so malleable should be of great interest-and potential concern-to social scientists and policymakers alike. -- Courtenay R. Conrad, coauthor of <i>Contentious Compliance: Dissent and Repression under International Human Rights Law</i> In this compelling and salient book, Kearns and Young inject needed experimental evidence into discussions about why and under what conditions the public supports the use of torture in the service of counterterrorism. A must read for any serious student or scholar of counterterrorism. -- James A. Piazza, Pennsylvania State University

Tortured Logic is written by two up-and-coming researchers, one a political scientist, and the other a criminologist, which gives this book a strong interdisciplinary perspective. Together the two authors bring an array of skills that I believe make them well-suited to produce a volume of this caliber. -- Victor Asal, University at Albany

Author Information

Erin M. Kearns is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama. Joseph K. Young is a professor at American University with a joint appointment in the School of Public Affairs and the School of International Service.

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