The Sources of Islamic Revolutionary Conduct
Abstract
Democracy refuses to think strategically unless and until compelled to do so for the purposes of defense. In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself; that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them. Why? This is the key question that has so far gone unanswered in the current struggle, the United States so-called global war on terrorism. It is the why questions that can be notoriously difficult to answer. It used to be the case in American secondary education, when pupils were taught how to write, that they were prompted to consider answering the traditional battery of basic questions: who, what, when, where, how, and why. In a general sense, the who-what-when-wherehow questions seem rather straightforward; they involve description, characterization, classification, or basic fact-finding. But the why question is in a category all of its own. It can pose the thorny challenge of uncovering more than just superficial reality. In terms of human behavior, it probes deeper and requires the writer to explore such concepts as meaning, truth, falsehood, intent, passion, and belief. It demands a completely different scope and level of reasoning. Over and above description, classification, or characterization, it requires analysis. In the fields of study that address human interaction for example in ethics, politics, international affairs, or warfare answering why questions involves penetrating the underlying cultural and metaphysical belief structures that serve to guide both individual and collective behavior.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA476860
Entities
People
- Stephen P. Lambert
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy