>[!abstract] >A **torment nexus** is a term used in moral philosophy and effective altruism to describe systems that concentrate large amounts of intense suffering into a small, stable set of beings or processes. Rather than diffuse, low-level harm, a torment nexus produces extreme, repeated, or prolonged suffering, such as in industrial animal agriculture, torture institutions, or hypothetical misaligned AI systems that optimize while inflicting pain. A torment nexus is an example of moral risk asymmetry, because they generate disproportionate negative value. It helps reframe moral prioritization around preventing worst-case suffering concentrations rather than merely improving average outcomes. >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): [[Dystopia]] >- **West** (similar): — >- **East** (different): — >- **South** (downstream): —