Philippine E-Journals

Rethinking the Question of Values in an Era of Terrorism

Adebola Babatunde Ekanola

Discipline: Philosophy, Religion, Political Science

 

Abstract:

Francis Offor’s claim that terrorism is a product of globalization, a process described as an unjust imposition of “Western” values, such as industrialization and literacy, on other cultural values is rejected by this paper as mistaken, too simplistic, and begging the question. These “Western” values are more correctly described as secondary human values that could universally facilitate the attainment of primary human values, such as peace and social justice, if properly applied in society. An adequate understanding of terrorism, a complex phenomenon, requires a consideration of mutually reinforcing political, economic, cultural, and religious factors that underpin it.