Al Qaeda and what it Means to be ModernFundamentalist terror movements are seen as reversions to medievalism, backlashes against a way of life that is the same everywhere. This view is a mirage. Thinking of modernity as a universal condition is a hindrance to understanding the present. Gray goes back to the origins of our notion of modernity in early nineteenth-century Positivism. Many economists imbibed their view that every society goes through the same developmental phases. Gray argues that September 11th destroyed the idea of globalisation as the sole pathway to modernity. He considers the role of the global free market, the pretensions of economics, the metamorphosis of war and the prospects of an American empire. |
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LibraryThing Review
Umsögn notanda - horacewimsey - LibraryThingRead this for an undergraduate political science class. A very good read. Short and to the point, this book gets to the bottom of the situation really quickly and lets us know that we're dealing with a different people here and one that we're not likely to sway quickly if at all. Read full review
LibraryThing Review
Umsögn notanda - jguy7500 - LibraryThingAn interesting read, showing how Al Qaeda is a product of the modern world. It also goes into the history of "modern", and how the ideas behind the modern, Western, world evolved. That makes for a ... Read full review