Engineers of Jihad


syrakusos

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Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, who shot up a recruiting center in a mall, then drove to a supply depot and killed four Marines, and wounded another, graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in electrical engineering.

For instance, Dick Butler, the founder of Aryan Nation, was an aeronautical engineer and Wilhelm Schmitt, leader of the “Sheriff's Posse Comitatus” (a militant antigovernment group with an anti-tax agenda and extremist Christian views) before being sentenced to 26 years in prison was an engineer with Lockheed Martin (Smith and Morgan 1994).
In early September 2007 Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – one of the country’s most radical politicians with a PhDon transport engineering from Teheran’s Science and Technology University and the author several of scientific papers – delivered a speech to Iranian academics, which exudes those features to such an extent that we cannot resist quoting him at length: "In some discussions I told them [those inside Iran pressing for compromise over fears the United States could launch a military strike because of the nuclear standoff with the West]: “I am an engineer and I am examining the issue. They do not dare wage war against us and I base this on a double proof’” […] [First] I tell them: “I am an engineer and I am a master in calculation and tabulation. I draw up tables. For hours, I write out different hypotheses. I reject, I reason. I reason with planning and I make a conclusion. They cannot make problems for Iran.” [second] “I believe in what God says. God says that those who walk in the path of righteousness will be victorious. What reason can you have for believing God will not keep this promise?” (AFP, 3 September 2007).

"In comparing Islamist militant groups to non-Islamist ones, Hertog found violent right-wing conservative groups in the West to have a high representation of engineers in their ranks, though not as strongly as among Islamists. He found practically no engineers in extremist leftist groups, with the exception of some organizations in Turkey and Iran."

Engineers of Jihad by SteffenHertog and Diego Gambetta here http://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/users/gambetta/Engineers%20of%20Jihad.pdf.

Also Christopher Boucek (Moderator), Steffen Hertog, and Marc Sagemen, "Engineers of Jihad" from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace here:

http://carnegieendowment.org/files/0901Carnegie-Engineers.pdf

Some disagree with the findings -- or at least dislike the facts...

"Jihad Study Roils Engineering" from EE Times here:

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1168137

Considering the large number of engineers among us, it might be well to ask if Objectivism is a religion to some of them?

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I was thinking about this same thing. That guy who's presently being sentenced for killing 12 people in a movie theatre one year ago - I'm sure I heard it reported yesterday that he was studying neuro-science? My take-home: a person's scientific aptitude and training isn't a guarantee of rationality.

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Whether American, Canadian or Islamic, and whether due to selection or field socialisation, a disproportionate share of engineers seems to have a mindset that inclines them to entertain the quintessential right-wing features of “monism” – ‘why argue when there is one best solution’ – and of “simplism” – ‘if only people were rational, remedies would be simple’. (page 50)

The Carnegie survey reveals an even more surprising fact, hitherto unnoticed, that strengthens the suspicion that the engineers’ mindset plays a part in their proneness not only to radicalise to the right of the political spectrum but do so with a religious slant: engineers turn out to be by far the most religious group of all academics – 66.5 per cent, followed again by 61.7 in economics, 49.9 in sciences, 48.8 per cent of social scientists, 46.3 of doctors and 44.1 per cent of lawyers, the most sceptical of the lot. Engineers and economists are also those who oppose religion least (3.7% and 3.0%), and, together with the humanities, those who more strongly embrace it (Table 16).

Diego Gambetta, Steffen Hertog, Sociology Working Papers Paper Number 2007-10 "Engineers of Jihad" Department of Sociology, University of Oxford

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Whether American, Canadian or Islamic, and whether due to selection or field socialisation, a disproportionate share of engineers seems to have a mindset that inclines them to entertain the quintessential right-wing features of “monism” – ‘why argue when there is one best solution’ – and of “simplism” – ‘if only people were rational, remedies would be simple’. (page 50)

The Carnegie survey reveals an even more surprising fact, hitherto unnoticed, that strengthens the suspicion that the engineers’ mindset plays a part in their proneness not only to radicalise to the right of the political spectrum but do so with a religious slant: engineers turn out to be by far the most religious group of all academics – 66.5 per cent, followed again by 61.7 in economics, 49.9 in sciences, 48.8 per cent of social scientists, 46.3 of doctors and 44.1 per cent of lawyers, the most sceptical of the lot. Engineers and economists are also those who oppose religion least (3.7% and 3.0%), and, together with the humanities, those who more strongly embrace it (Table 16).

Diego Gambetta, Steffen Hertog, Sociology Working Papers Paper Number 2007-10 "Engineers of Jihad" Department of Sociology, University of Oxford

Maybe it's because it's easier to compartmentalize your engineering profession from your religious beliefs than if you were, say, a sociologist or philosopher. Newton--not an engineer of course, but scientist seems to match up here--ardently believed in God or a Supreme Being.

--Brant

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I was thinking about this same thing. That guy who's presently being sentenced for killing 12 people in a movie theatre one year ago - I'm sure I heard it reported yesterday that he was studying neuro-science? My take-home: a person's scientific aptitude and training isn't a guarantee of rationality.

A few tools in your toolbox doesn't necessarily mean you can build a house. The engineering and science curriculum is doable by people with good rote learning skills. Suppose you have a person with no real understanding or problem solving skills but the arrogance of a stupid person with an engineering degree. I think the problem in general with education factories is emphasis on rote learning without understanding or critical thinking skill. That's where 'consensus is science' comes from.

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Considering the large number of engineers among us, it might be well to ask if Objectivism is a religion to some of them?

The answer is yes, Michael.

Everyone has a religion... even if it's the religion of secularism.

Greg

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