Thoughts Following 9/11
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10-12-2001:
In tonight's Science News, I've included
links to some Arab news sources. Dr. Eyad El Sarraj' Bombs
and Madness.gives a picture of the Arab-Israeli conflict as seen from
the Palestinian side. One fact is indisputable: not everyone in
Palestine is happy. (I'm also contaminated with the notion that violence
generally begets violence. Peaceful solutions are to be preferred. In his
science fiction epic, "Foundation", Isaac Asimov has "Salvor
Hardin" say that "Violence is the last refuge of the
incompetent".)
The goal ascribed to Osama bin Laden, although his goals
are alleged to have escalated over time, is that of founding a pan-Arabic nation
in the Middle East. Of course, if he were successful, then once such a state
were formed, it would have an existence of its own, and like other human
institutions, would evolve over time. The Roman Republic evolved into the Roman
Empire. The early Christian church evolved into the church of the Renaissance.
The Muslim church progressed from its simple, 7th-century roots to the highest
Western civilization of the Middle Ages. If Mr. bin Laden were to succeed, I
should think that his creation would soon loosen its corset. Theocracies have
been attempted throughout history, and throughout history, they've been replaced
by more secular domains.