Philosophical, Epistemological and Ontological Bases in the Study of Psychology of Lone Wolf Radicalization and Terrorism
Carlo Lazzari1, *, Abdul Nusair2, Marco Rabottini1 1 Department Psychiatry, International Centre of Healthcare and Medical Education, Bristol, United Kingdom
2 Department of Psychiatry, South-West Yorkshire Trust, Wakefield, United Kingdom
Abstract
The current chapter focuses on the theoretical aspects of research on radicalization and lone wolf terrorism. The aim is to extract the justification of our research goals and tools and explore what ground we made our assumption of truth about the social phenomenon investigated. Several doctrines of thought are here revisited to frame our observations on radicalization and terrorism. The philosophical, ontological, and epistemological bases of psychological research in radicalization and terrorism are formulated in the current chapter.
Keywords: Epistemology, Lone Wolf, Ontology, Philosophy, Research, Terrorism.
* Corresponding author Carlo Lazzari: International Centre for Healthcare and Medical Education, Bristol, United Kingdom; E-mail: [email protected] Epistemology and Philosophy of Knowledge in Psychology of Terrorism
Empiricism, a term deriving from the Greek word empeiria or âexperience,â maintains that all human knowledge derives from experience and arises from stimulation of the five senses such as visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory [1]. In his work Theaetetus, Plato rejects empiricism attacking the Protagorean concept that the judgment or knowledge generated through perceptions is flawless; instead, knowledge should be found in our analysis of these experiences [2]. As Russel points out, in our search for truth, we begin by using our everyday experience and inevitability knowledge derives from it; more specifically, we adopt the perception of what appears while assuming that there is some truth behind it [3]. However, there seems to be little explanation of the methods of knowledge. The same applies to the understanding of mental illness
linked to lone wolf terrorism. However, empiricism could help understand human emotions and behavior where all senses can provide an account of other humans, such as the sound of their voice, the color of their clothes, the strength of their handshake, and so forth. However, as psychological knowledge could be fallacious, a researcher needs to use the Socratic Method to scan subjective realities. For instance, the use of psychological categories should be completed by a robust analysis of lone wolvesâ mental health and behaviors.
Socrates employed a method of further questions to an interlocutor following an initial one; the aim is to show that the answers provided are contradictory eventually, making the interlocutor aware of the limited knowledge of the thoughts investigated [4]. For instance, after a person says, âI always feel angry towards others,â the investigator might start to ask, âWhat do you mean with âangry?â, or âWhat do you mean with âalwaysâ? And so on. Therefore, knowledge about the world of emotions or the psyche in the human being and lone wolf can quickly arise from empiricism. In this case, âpsycheâ is defined as the world of mind, judgments, emotions, and values of a person [5].
On the contrary, for the knowledge of the world of objects, the use of reason or rationalism might be more indicated. Descartes introduces an essential aspect of clinical practice, which is mindfulness about the own biases in thinking defined Descartes as âdemons.â This aspect is central in assessing the objectivity of current research methods on radicalization. Descartes introduced the practice of systematic doubt, which, after a process of progressive reasoning, can reach the perception of being correct, although the only truthfulness is the perception of the self (Cogito Ergo Sum: I think hence I am) [3]. Rationalists hold three significant theories [6]:
- âThe Intuition/Deduction Thesisâ: some truth is knowable only by instinct while others are inferred from these intuitions.
- âThe Innate Knowledge Thesisâ: other truths are held as part of our rational nature.
- âThe Innate Concept Thesisâ: we have some notions about a particular object as part of our rational nature.
Rationalists hold that reality has an intrinsically rational nature so that a category of truths and principles can be known as it occurs in logic, mathematics, and ethics [7]. An expansion is that in the clinical work with a lone wolf with mental-health disorders, the clinician applies all these instruments for assessment â having a professional intuition that there is something wrong â and treatment â care plans being assumed as a rational response to a psychological illness.
In conclusion, both empiricism and rationalism are currently applicable in clinical practice and research in the psychology of lone wolf radicalization and terrorism. Especially in the professions of mental health, intuition and knowledge using senses, plus a rationalist assessment of underlying social and ethnic causes, together with the use of approved instruments for diagnosis and treatment, are all equally important. As seen in the current chapter, the practice of scanning reality via senses (empiricism) can help understand the nature of the psyche, for instance, the naturalistic observation of terrorist acts. However, rationalist instruments reinforce intuitions, making the observer aware of personal biases while accepting the physical objectsâ rationality and truth, e.g., psychological scales, standardized tools of analysis, mixed-method research approaches.
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