Date: Mon, 08 Oct 2001
College Activism Against Terrorism
Thomas M. Miovas, Jr.
In conjunction with ARI's push to get Dr. Peikoff's op-ed advertisement
"End States that Sponsor Terrorism" published in as many newspapers as
possible, including college newspapers, I have been able to get that
article published at my alma mater, the University of Dallas.
I graduated from the University of Dallas in 1987. At the time, I was the
only active Objectivist on campus. So I have to say I was very surprised
and encouraged to find that both co-editors of "The University News" and at
least one of the other workers at that publication are fans of Ayn Rand. In
fact, they were *insistent* that Dr. Peikoff's article be published. They
were even aware of ARI's web site. In effect, they just needed someone to
fund the advertisement.
The University of Dallas is a very well recognized and honored university
in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. They also house the Graduate School of
Management, which is one of the top rated schools (at least locally) for
training future MBA's. This means Dr. Peikoff's op-ed we will be
influencing not only the general liberal arts undergraduate class, but
future business leaders. The editor of "The University News" also tells me
there are a lot of students who will agree with Dr. Peikoff, but they
haven't been able to find the right words to rally around.
It is crucially important to realize that the American people are waking up
from their intellectual slumber. As Ayn Rand put it: When the American
people turn, they turn.
For many decades, the American people and college campuses could pretend
that abstract ideas didn't matter, that it was all just an intellectual
chess game having no real consequences. This came about because the Soviet
Union never directly attacked America, so they could brush off cries of
"communism is the enemy" as mere theory and rhetoric. Due to the terrorist
attacks of 911, that is no longer their attitude -- I think the majority of
Americans now realize that ideas have consequences, and they are listening
intently to anyone who claims to know the answers. This change presents an
opportunity to spread Objectivism that we dare not pass up. Our long-term
survival depends on it.
The essay below will also be published in "The University News." For
context, I need to say that the University of Dallas is a Catholic
university with an excellent core curriculum focusing on the history of
Western Civilization. Consequently, the essay is geared towards a Christian
audience. I think it is very important to counter the idea that the Mulsim
terrorists are not motivated by religious beliefs.
Guest Editorial or Column
From: Thomas M. Miovas, Jr.
University of Dallas, Class of '87
Physics and Philosophy
Proposed title: Terrorists Hate Secularity
The terrorist attacks on America of September 11, 2001 by militant
fundamentalist Muslims still seems to baffle many Americans - especially
Christians. They want to reject out-of-hand the idea that the terrorists
are motivated by any religious belief - because according to most modern
Christians, God is benevolent towards man's desire to live on earth; they
believe that God gives his sanction for living a secular life, so long as
one gives proper tribute to God. But this idea wasn't always a part of the
Christian doctrine. Augustine, one of the founders of Catholicism, despised
secularity nearly as vehemently as the militant Muslims. Something change
the course of history, turning Christianity into a secular direction.
The terrorists hatred of Western Values dates back to the time of the Holy
Crusades -- they see themselves as still fighting those series of wars that
ended nearly a thousand years ago. How was Western Culture able to move
beyond these scuffles to eventually lead to the creation of the United
States of America - who has put men on the moon while Afghans and other
Muslims are still living nearly as they were before the turn of the last
millennium?
The answer, in two names, is Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle.
During the Crusades, Muslims had discovered the writings of the pagan Greek
philosopher Aristotle. Attempting to integrate these teachings into Islam,
they advanced mathematics and some other secular values that were then
unknown to Western Culture. The more intellectual people of Western Culture
were likewise fascinated by these newly rediscovered sciences, but found
that Muslims would not permit them to study Aristotle unless they converted
to Islam. The West was in the process of losing their best and brightest,
who were heading East.
Thomas Aquinas was able to stop this flow by meticulously weaving Aristotle
into Christianity, thereby giving the men of Western Culture a rediscovery
of their pagan past, as it were, though recast into a Christian form. In
effect, he made the argument that God gave man certain potentialities -
especially reason - so that man could enjoy living on earth by actualizing
his potentials. This lead to a re-secularization of the West, which it
hadn't known since Constantine the Great had forced Rome to accept
Christianity as it's national religion.
The militant fundamentalist Muslims and the countries that endorse and
force this religious way onto its people, are living the way they are
because they reject secularity, something the West embraced. The militant
Muslims basically still hold the idea that God wouldn't stoop so low as to
aid man in his secular ways.
The World Trade Center - standing proud and gleaming in the sunlight of
Western Values -- represented a bold proclamation that secularity is good.
The Pentagon - with its fortress-like structure -- represents the idea that
secular values ought to be protected. That is why the terrorist targeted
those buildings.
Whether one is Christian or not, this is what has to be understood if the
motivation of the terrorists is to be grasped.
