Five Myths of Terrorism by Michael Shermer
(1) The myth of pure evil, which holds that perpetrators commit pointless violence for no rational reason.
(2) That terrorists are part of a vast global network of top-down centrally controlled conspiracies against the west
(3) That terrorists are diabolical geniuses as 9/11 Commission report described them as “sophisticated, patient, disciplined, and lethal”
(4) That terrorism is deadly on a vast scale
(5) That terrorism is effective and it works
Michael Shermer, a regular contributor of social and psychological issues in Scientific American magazine has written a detailed analysis and the latest results of scientific research at various American universities.
This one page article explains that how much there is disconnect between the reality and myths about terrorism.
The article also discusses the scientific study of aggression:
(i) Instrumental violence
(ii) Revenge
(iii) Dominance and recognition
(iv) Ideology
It is an interesting and informative article.
For details, please click the hyperlink below:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=five-myths-of-terrorism-including-that-it-works
Posted by EDITORS
Disagree with the fifth “myth”. Terrorism does work, and Al-Qaeda has been around for more than 8 years. Terrorism has worked: a whole cabinet level dept. was created in this country with thousands employed to keep us secure; huge inconveniences at airports; hundreds of extra police at bridges,tunnels, important bldgs.; constant threat of more on holidays, special days; erecting pylons in front of target buildings. we’ve fought two actual wars costing billions upon billions and creating a huge drag on our economy. So even though the terrorists have not won so far, we have lost our way of life. Similar changes in other western countries have surely cost many more billions. This doesn’t look very much like a victory against terrorists.