In "Five Theses on Torture", Idelbar
Abelar, among other arguments, makes a case for the connection between torture
and truth by synthesizing several notable works on the matter. One very
interesting point that Abelar illuminates in Dubois’ work ‘Torture and Truth’,
is an elaboration on the concept of alêtheia. Since this refers to truth that must be draw from
elsewhere, a person must first be reduced to something inferior, through the
means of basanos, before a secret truth can be revealed. And women and slaves,
as argued here, are merely containers of alêtheia, which they themselves have no access to. I found it a
little disturbing how in Lycurgus, Leocrates’ slaves were used as bartering
tools to blackmail Leocrates into revealing the truth. Leocrates’ refusal to
grant permission for his slaves to be tortured, something that would have
inevitably resulted in the spilling of the truth, effectively criminalized him.
In Greek democracy, it was up to the jurisdiction of the slave’s master over
whether or not he could be tortured, and the only circumstances in which a slave’s
opinion was legally relied upon was under torture, relying solely on truth
obtained via basanos. Also, the connection between the slave and master is not
absolute, as a free man can be reduced to a slave, or the equivalent, through
torture.
Ted - I agree with your last statement that a free man can be reduced to essentially a slave through torture. Torture can cause an individual to submit one's self to the torturer's will. On the basis that women and slaves (as argued in the work) are holders of aletheia, I found it interesting how in Greek society (and ancient societies elsewhere) these slaves and women were used strictly to elicit a truth from someone. By doing so, it almost objectifies the women and slaves, being used as bartering and truth-extracting tools.
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