Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-245) and index.

Introduction: Do we need religion? -- Prudential and moral argumentation about the Iraq War -- Setting the context: president Bush's prewar rhetoric on Iraq -- The multiply muted opposition of the press -- Abu Ghraib and torture: whither Dostoyevsky? -- How television debated the attack on Iraq -- The online debate about Iraq and Abu Ghraib -- Congress: Gone fishing.

"In this singular examination of the American discourse over war and torture, Douglas V. Porpora, Alexander Nikolaev, Julia Hagemann May, and Alexander Jenkins investigate the opinion pages of American newspapers, television commentary, and online discussion groups to offer the first empirical study of the national conversation about the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the revelations of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib a year later. Post-Ethical Society is not just another shot fired in the ongoing culture war between conservatives and liberals, but a pensive and ethically engaged reflection of America's feelings about itself and our actions as a nation. And while many writers and commentators have opined about our moral place in the world, the vast amount of empirical data amassed in Post-Ethical Society sets it apart--and makes its findings that much more damning." -- Publisher's description.