Assuming the conclusion? That would only be true if I also stated that the only <i>possible</i> justification someone might give for torture is intelligence gathering. I was simply addressing what I thought would be the most likely counter-argument, not asserting it&#x27;s the only possible counter-argument.<p>By all means, feel free to argue the merits of my &#x27;pre-emptive counter-counter argument&#x27; (boy this is getting confusing). Or if you like, feel free to argue the merits of some alternative justification for torturing people. Here, I&#x27;ll start you off:<p>- It&#x27;s a good deterrent to &lt;x&gt; behaviour<p>- It&#x27;s fun<p>- It hurts people we don&#x27;t like<p>- The victim is a witch, and we need to find out who the other witches are