Monthly Archives: April 2016

True Believers, Religion, Politics, and Willingness to Die

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

I’m currently working on some rather cool simulations, attempting to determine the conditions sufficient to cause mass rebellious movements, where being killed by your own government is preferable to living in the status quo. I’m referring to armed insurrection with … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Natural Selection and Computer Programs Appearing Simply by Chance

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

Last night this article by the Friendly Atheist came across my Twitter feed, discussing a Jehovah’s Witness Youtube video where scientist and JW Yaroslav Dovhanych argues that evolution is a myth. I’m not going to get into the details of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

First Degree Murder as Self-Preservation: Religious Violence and Insecure Identity

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

Ask yourself the following questions: What is your identity? What is the most important part of your identity to a larger social group? To what lengths are you willing to go to preserve that identity (criticism of others or violence)? … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

When Prophecy Succeeds?: The Islamic State Problem as an Imaginary Reality

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Rayan Zehn

The main point of this essay is that the Islamic State’s beliefs are so entrenched in its adherents’ identities that defeating them is all but an exercise in futility. There is no way to put the genie back in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment