Terrorism in the Evolution Wars: Mass Media and Human Nature

Aechtner, Thomas

doi:10.1080/14746700.2016.1231983

Cited by 6 publications

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“…Highly respected within the movement, her articles include the antievolutionist piece, “Education and Evolution: A Look at the Influence of Evolutionary Theory in Modern Education” (Best ). Best's central claims also parallel those made by other antievolutionists, which contend that the materialistic and mechanistic processes of evolution diminish human value and meaning (Aechtner ). For Best, the “harmful consequences” of evolutionary theory are clear: the theory it does away with the need for God, it promotes the idea that life is purely material, and it encourages “competition for resources” ().…”

Section: Perspectives Of Evolution In Contemporary Iskcon Mediamentioning

confidence: 79%

Vaishnavism, Antievolutionism, and Ambiguities: Revisiting Iskcon's Darwin‐skepticism

Zambon¹,

Aechtner²

2018

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The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna Movement, has disseminated a flurry of antievolutionist media since its inception in 1966. Such communications frequently co-opt arguments employed by Christian creationists and Intelligent Design theorists. At the same time, however, there are indications that a scattering of ISKCON publications have articulated relatively ambiguous, less oppositional statements about evolutionary theory. This article reconsiders ISKCON's Darwin-skepticism by appraising recent, largely unexamined Hare Krishna publications, as well as responses to evolutionary theory expressed by ISKCON's founder, A. C. Bhaktivedanta, and his immediate Vaishnava forerunners. The analysis reveals that, although the majority of contemporary ISKCON materials are vehemently opposed to evolution, some leading voices demonstrate less combative, cautiously accommodating stances. These cases are suggestive of complexities in ISKCON's responses to evolution, both past and present, which are not necessarily encapsulated in the terms Vedic creationism or antievolutionism.

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Section: Perspectives Of Evolution In Contemporary Iskcon Mediamentioning

confidence: 79%

Vaishnavism, Antievolutionism, and Ambiguities: Revisiting Iskcon's Darwin‐skepticism

Zambon¹,

Aechtner²

2018

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“…While these are just two examples, discussions about Harun Yahya can be found in a wide range of sources (Edis and Bix ; Edis ; Enserink ; Guessoum ; Riexinger , , ; Hameed , ; Numbers ; Thomas ; Bigliardi , , ; Edis and BouJaoude ; Clément ; Aechtner ; Dupret and Gutron ; Carlisle et al. ; Unsworth ), reinforcing the assumption of Harun Yahya's high relevance .…”

Section: Discussing Claims Of Harun Yahya's Influencementioning

confidence: 84%

“…While these are just two examples, discussions about Harun Yahya can be found in a wide range of sources (Edis and Bix 2004;Edis 2006;Enserink 2007;Guessoum 2009;Riexinger 2009aRiexinger , 2009bRiexinger , 2010Hameed 2010Hameed , 2015Numbers 2010;Thomas 2012;Bigliardi 2012Bigliardi , 2014aBigliardi , 2014bEdis and BouJaoude 2014;Clément 2015;Aechtner 2016;Dupret and Gutron 2016;Carlisle et al 2019;Unsworth 2019), reinforcing the assumption of Harun Yahya's high relevance. 4 However, at present, there is little existing evidence to support the idea that Harun Yahya deserves such extensive coverage.…”

Section: The Harun Yahya Enterprisementioning

confidence: 99%

Harun Yahya's Influence in Muslim Minority Contexts: Implications for Research in Britain, Europe, and Beyond

Moran¹

2019

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In 2006, the Turkish Harun Yahya Enterprise published and distributed thousands of copies of its anti‐evolutionary text Atlas of Creation to educational institutes in the West. Although this was little more than a publicity stunt, it resulted in Harun Yahya becoming a mainstay in discussions about creationism in Europe. Although Yahya is often presented as the “go to” representative of European Muslim perceptions of evolution, one would be hard pressed to find the literature about Islamic creationism in Europe that does not engage in a discussion of Harun Yahya. However, little evidence exists to support the notion that Harun Yahya warrants such extensive attention, or that Harun Yahya has a substantive influence among European Muslims. This article will explore existing claims about the popularity of Harun Yahya, before drawing on recent research into Muslim perceptions of evolution to argue that Harun Yahya is relatively unknown among Muslims, at least in the British context, and is not influential even among those who are familiar with his work.

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“…Human nature is not a place where one can find answers to the emergence of neo-Nazism, neo-Fascism, and terrorism. However, it is undoubtedly unavoidable in cooperation with other social and economic problems, poverty, and alienation of certain social groups and strata (Aechtner, 2016). In the group of objective social factors that drive subjective, that is, radical attitudes and understanding of terrorism as a legitimate and only means, we can also classify several recognized by international institutions, namely: prolonged unresolved conflicts, lack of the rule of law, violation of human rights, national and religious discrimination, political exclusion, socioeconomic marginalization and lack of good governance.…”

Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internationalization of Neo-Nazism and Social Media: Psychosocial, Sociopolitical and Security Inquiry

Hadžić

2022

Lectio Socialis

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This research analyses the internationalization paradigm of extremism and neo-Nazism, affecting related global events within the historical, psychosocial, sociopolitical, security, and globalized media framework; problematizing a gap between peace, violence, democratic legislation, social awareness, political agendas, participation, and hyperpersonal communication theories. The radicalization process can be initiated or encouraged by sociopolitical or sociopsychological circumstances that directly or indirectly affect the individual. There is no detailed profile of a person attentive to commit terrorism, various positions, and judgments. The capacity and participation in the sociopolitical process are questioned. The impoverishment of public life and the public sphere creates a critical potential for demagogic and ideological extremist manipulation. Democratic accountability and transparency could be submerged by far-right spin specialists who have more scope to manage information. Such an occurrence coincides with the mass society theories. Hyperpersonal communication initiated securitization, highlighting the internationalization of neo-Nazism and neo-Fascism (i.e., Norwegian-Breivik and New Zealand-Tarrant). It is undeniably essential that a democratic, legal state has a monopoly on violence. The lack of decisionmakers in the political sphere who would: establish a different direction in the constitution of the community, understanding that managing the relevant weaponry and cognate laws is a regional, transnational, and trans-party issue, and the actual field of their political legitimacy; a failure for diverse global societies.Hadžıć 12 orientations towards politics and political institutions. Policy-oriented citizen activities can be of greater or lesser intensity, require more or less time and resources, be individual or collective, and have more or less success. A key component in achieving a refined response to neo-Nazism and neofascism ensures adequate social awareness and representation of all sociopolitical actors and individuals within the security sector, especially when defining policies and programs and operational roles in law enforcement. A characteristic of the post-modern world is the lack of security and the mixing and merging of different styles and genres. Besides, various media and communication theories must be criticized in the post-modern world because they view people as passive recipients of information. There were no independent media in Nazism. All mass media were under the strict control of the regime. Their task was not to objectively inform the population but instead to spread the ruling ideology and indoctrinate it. Thus, there is no risk from Stalinism in the twenty-first century but a variant of Nazism and Fascism.This research analyses the internationalization paradigm of extremism and neo-Nazism, affecting related global events within the historical, psychosocial, sociopolitical, and security frameworks. It further explores media and social media in the globalized world and ...

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Terrorism in the Evolution Wars: Mass Media and Human Nature

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Vaishnavism, Antievolutionism, and Ambiguities: Revisiting Iskcon's Darwin‐skepticism

Vaishnavism, Antievolutionism, and Ambiguities: Revisiting Iskcon's Darwin‐skepticism

Harun Yahya's Influence in Muslim Minority Contexts: Implications for Research in Britain, Europe, and Beyond

Internationalization of Neo-Nazism and Social Media: Psychosocial, Sociopolitical and Security Inquiry

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