Summary
As he states in the pref- ace to "Talking to the Enemy," Scott Atran seeks to study terrorism - "one of the most compelling faith- related issues of our day" - through the lens of science because this subject "has largely been immune to serious scientific study because of its passion." He adds that "understanding an opponent's sacred values may offer surprising opportunities for breakthroughs to peace or at least to lessening violent competition between groups."
Mr. Atran's aims are even more ambitious, as he writes that "this work is also intended to provide more general insight into the origin and evolution of religion, the epidemics of war, the rise of civilizations, the creation of the concept of humanity, and the limits of reason. Whatever bit of this ambition succeeds makes the effort behind it worthwhile."See the full content of this document
Extract
(Mis)Understanding Terrorism
To accomplish these objectives, Mr. Atran, a prominent American academic who is director of research in anthropology at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris (among other positions), has conducted field research in conflict...
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