3 ms·

Engineers Nine Times More Likely Than Expected to Become Terrorists

6 points by dvt 11y ago

api 11y ago
Terrorist ideologies are absolutist and fundamentalist. The mental habits that engineering cultivates are unfortunately compatible with this way of thinking in political and spiritual/religious realms. There is an absolute truth and an absolute right and wrong, etc. I've never met a "terrorist" but I have known a surprising number of engineers who subscribe to totalitarian politics and/or religious fundamentalism. At first I found this shocking and confusing.
deleted 11y ago
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ThrustVectoring 11y ago
One of the skills that engineering teaches and/or selects for is something like "taking ideas seriously." If you take chemistry and conservation of linear momentum seriously, you get rocketry. If you take "America is the Great Satan" seriously, you get terrorism. There's a fundamental similarity between the processes.
- icanhackit 11y ago
  One of the skills that engineering teaches and/or selects for is something like "taking ideas seriously." I respect what you're saying but I think there's room for nuance. They tend to be competitive and driven. In a sense you can't become an engineer without those traits because engineering, or the application of scientific principles in design, is hard. You have to work hard to become an engineer. Engineers are highly capable of implementing plans because of their method of thinking and acting. Daydreaming about something is different to actual implementation. It's why the phrase Ideas are cheap, execution is everything is a common refrain in these parts.
ethanbond 11y ago
What about the social components? It seems too obvious a stereotype not to at least investigate whether or not the "lonely nerds" are seeking social identity and belonging in groups like these.
alexandrerond 11y ago
If anyone knows the API endpoint to consult membership details of terrorist organizations, including level of studies of their members, I'd like check myself that we are really "9 times" more likely, and not 8.4 or 11.3.
itgoon 11y ago
There will be harmony among the engineers as soon as we all agree on the best text editor.

6 points by dvt 11y ago

api 11y ago

Terrorist ideologies are absolutist and fundamentalist. The mental habits that engineering cultivates are unfortunately compatible with this way of thinking in political and spiritual/religious realms. There is an absolute truth and an absolute right and wrong, etc. I've never met a "terrorist" but I have known a surprising number of engineers who subscribe to totalitarian politics and/or religious fundamentalism. At first I found this shocking and confusing.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

ThrustVectoring 11y ago

One of the skills that engineering teaches and/or selects for is something like "taking ideas seriously." If you take chemistry and conservation of linear momentum seriously, you get rocketry. If you take "America is the Great Satan" seriously, you get terrorism. There's a fundamental similarity between the processes.

icanhackit 11y ago
One of the skills that engineering teaches and/or selects for is something like "taking ideas seriously." I respect what you're saying but I think there's room for nuance. They tend to be competitive and driven. In a sense you can't become an engineer without those traits because engineering, or the application of scientific principles in design, is hard. You have to work hard to become an engineer. Engineers are highly capable of implementing plans because of their method of thinking and acting. Daydreaming about something is different to actual implementation. It's why the phrase Ideas are cheap, execution is everything is a common refrain in these parts.

ethanbond 11y ago

What about the social components? It seems too obvious a stereotype not to at least investigate whether or not the "lonely nerds" are seeking social identity and belonging in groups like these.

alexandrerond 11y ago

If anyone knows the API endpoint to consult membership details of terrorist organizations, including level of studies of their members, I'd like check myself that we are really "9 times" more likely, and not 8.4 or 11.3.

itgoon 11y ago

There will be harmony among the engineers as soon as we all agree on the best text editor.