>
> If there are those on this list who feel that there exists a direct causal
> chain between US policy and last Tuesday's premeditated, meticulously
> planned, mass murder resulting in the death of ~6000 people then please
> sketch it out in a scholarly way. I for one would like to see how our
> policies create a mindset that justifies premeditated murder as an
> intended consequence.
>
Hi Mike,
I'll let others argue specifics. But I do think that you may be
misinterpreting what many (if not all) people have been saying. A causal
chain is associated with an explanation but not necessarily with a
justification. I have little doubt that the terrorists felt justified in
what they did and would point to the sort of causal chain that you are
discussing that blames not only "agenda setters" but an entire country -
agenda setters and civilians alike. And they also looked to their religion
to provide the warrant for their actions.
Just because I can "recognize" this sort of reasoning, it doesn't mean that
I agree with the reasoning or that it in any way justifies the actions that
were taken. I don't think this way. There is nothing in my mind that
justifies what was done. Unfortunately, we cannot undo what has been done.
What is at least partially controllable is the response. What I suspect
worries most people on the list - it certainly worries me - is how to avoid
a endless (or nearly endless) cycle of reprisals (as is all too common in
human history). In a cycle of reprisals and retribution, "extremists" on
all sides feel justified and tend to look to some causal chain for an
explanation/warrant.
So a question that I have in thinking about how to respond is simply asking
if we risk falling into an ESCALATING cycle of reprisals that might result
in the suffering or death of many innocents on both sides of the conflict.
I do think that it is legitimate to try to defend myself, my family, my
friends and other innocents against violence. But there are numerous
strategies for going about this. Is mine the wisest? I don't know.
Probably not. I admitted that I might be an idealist. But perhaps that is
not entirely bad. Do I think that Ossama bin Laden or members of Al-Qaida
share my ideals or envision a society in which I or my family could
reasonably exist? I doubt it very much. Does that make how I relate to
these people very difficult? Absolutely. Does that mean that I (or more
accurately the society/nation that I participate in) should do "anything" to
protect ourselves against Al-Qaida or bring Al-Quida to justice? Not in my
mind. Is there any evidence that I should be concerned about some of the
steps that might be taken in the future by my government on my and my fellow
citizens behalf? I think that there is. That does not seem like a
justification of the terrorists to me.
In any case, I think that it is really important to distinguish between when
people are offering an explanation and when they are offering a
justification. I admit that this distinction is easier to make
conceptually than it often is in practice.
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