Dear Sam,
Having answered Rog and Platt, it's your turn again:
You wrote 12/10 00:27 +0100:
"it does seem clear that the choice of conflict which bin Laden
has made is primarily biological - the destruction of life and
property."
I don't agree with you. Killing IS indeed part of a biological
pattern of values as protection of the survival of a species (if
necessary) at the expense of another species or even -rarely- at
the expense of -unfit- members of the same species. "Property",
however, is not part of any biological pattern of values
(although it may be derived historically from "territory", which
is). Killing can however also be part of a social pattern of
values (e.g. as an extreme measure to exclude people who don't
"belong" from the own group) and even of an intellectual pattern
of values (e.g. as a logically necessary means to reach a desired
end in a strategy that can be scientifically proved to be
effective).
It seems to me that Bin Laden has chosen a conflict that is
primarily ideological: trying to win the hearts and minds of
Islamic people for his version of Islamism. I see the terrorist
attacks functioning primarily as a means to get public attention.
(Which is working damn well.) He could even have made a fortune
(= social status) by selling the property rights of his
photographs that is being reproduced everywhere (-; . I don't
think that is his intention, however. (Although, one never knows,
seeing the speculation-with-foreknowledge in shares of insurance
companies just before 11/9.) Anyhow, his intention/choice is
irrelevant to the fact that the terrorist attacks ARE (= can be
experienced as) part of BOTH biological patterns of values AND
social patterns of values AND intellectual patterns of values.
Seen as part of (especially) biological and (to a lesser extent)
social patterns of values terrorist attacks are hardly worth the
fuss (= immense military and diplomatic efforts) being made about
them. Terrorists can kill only a small part of the American
population even if they would manage to get hold of a few atomic
bombs. They can't destroy the whole global social pattern of
values of which the USA is a part, let alone the whole species.
Its danger lies in its being a part of an intellectual pattern of
values that is potentially able to win the hearts and minds of
the roughly 1 billion (1.000.000.000) Islamic people in the world
and to scare the roughly 1 billion inhabitants of Western
countries into disruption of their own social and intellectual
patterns of value (both our economy and our civilized ideas about
democracy, human rights etc. thrive on trust and will be
destroyed by fear).
With friendly greetings,
Wim
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