In the absence of a state that provides basic order, social stability, a predictable continuity of life, people look to other modes of organization to fulfill some of that role. In totalitarian Iraq, the only other mode that could have even the slightest freedom was the religious. But in general, I think it’s fair to say that religion is the most common default source of organization and support in times of dislocation and collapse of governing structures.
In the absence of a state that provides basic order, social stability, a predictable continuity of li…
Rahul Mahajan
Rahul Mahajan was born in Philadelphia, PA, in 1969. He received his Bachelor`s in Mathematics from Caltech in 1992 and will receive his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin in August 2002. He has been an Austin resident for most of his life, starting when his family moved here in 1977 and continuing except for brief periods when he went away to school.