Abstract
Based on his own experience, Jean Améry (At the Mind’s Limits, 1980) argued that torture is “the most horrible event a human being can retain within himself” (p. 22). This paper, relying largely on Améry’s own words, investigates this statement and seeks to provide it with a more concrete basis in phenomenology and embodied cognition. In particular, it demonstrates that torture destroys the most basic structure of the human being.
I would like to thank Shaun Gallagher and Eli Pitcovski for their helpful comments on earlier drafts.
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Notes
- 1.
For the sake of the argument, let us assume that such cases exist.
- 2.
The discussion uses the masculine form because it is based on Améry’s writings and experiences.
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Ataria, Y. (2019). Total Destruction: The Case of Jean Améry. In: Ataria, Y., Kravitz, A., Pitcovski, E. (eds) Jean Améry. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28095-6_8
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