“Dignità contro dignità”? Sulla natura antidemocratica della tortura

This paper focuses on the recent debate on re-legalizing torture in the context of the so-called “war on terrorism”. The essay moves from a definition of the concept of law as limitation of force and of democracy as a political ideal, not only as a method of government. It underlines, moreover, the extreme violence connected to torture as such. These two elements: the concept of law and the nature of torture show the fallacy of the principle arguments for torture today. In particular, the A. criticizes the so-called “dignity vs. dignity” (in German, Würde gegen Würde) argument and the related premodern interpretation of the idea of human dignity.