When was the last time you stopped to think how many atrocities are associated with 'fundamentalism'? Usually we think only of religious fundamentalism, but there are other forms including 'free market fundamentalism' and 'private property rights fundamentalism'. What else tends toward fundamentalism?
What constitutes fundamentalism and why might it be 'dangerous'? At Wikipedia we find this: "[Fundamentalism] usually has a religious connotation indicating unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs." It is the "unwavering attachment" that tends toward being dangerous. In religious circles we see fundamentalism at work in acts of terrorism against particularly women, other religious sects, and sometimes "infidel" nation states. And the danger is by no means limited to one group. Here in the US the talk these days is mostly about Muslim fundamentalists. But Christian fundamentalists have been involved in very many acts of terrorism throughout the ages, including the Crusades, burning "witches" to the stake, and many acts of genocide.
When seen in economic circles, often not far removed from theology, we see 'free market fundamentalists' actively engaged in war against government programs that "true believers" see as a threat to ever-more free markets. 'Free markets' themselves are seen by these fundamentalists as an unmitigated good for humanity. Never mind that there are external environmental (and other) effects that are discounted to the point of being ignored. Never mind that there are tendencies toward monopoly inherent in modern market mechanisms. Never mind that there are market tendencies toward aggregating wealth into the hands of fewer and fewer people—i.e. the "one percent." Never mind that now with the Citizens United supreme court decision, these ever-fewer wealth holders are able to gain control over political speech, in increasingly dangerous ways. See also Citizens United political movement.
Why ought we to speak out against fundamentalist thinking? I'll defer to Andrew Sullivan writing in an online debate titled "Is Religion 'Built on Lies'? (cited below. It is very much worth a read.):
The reason I find fundamentalism so troubling - whether it is Christian, Jewish or Muslim - is not just its willingness to use violence (in the Islamist manifestation). It is its inability to integrate doubt into faith, its resistance to human reason, its tendency to pride and exclusion, and its inability to accept mystery as the core reality of any religious life.
And I'll defer to some graffiti I found on a bar room wall in Sausalito, California many years ago that said, simply, and fundamentally: "Protect the innocent. Convince the undecided. And kill the rest!" Could fundamentalism's danger be more easily phrased?
A final question: How can we expect to progress as a civilization if indeed we, particularly a large number of us, are fundamentalist in our thoughts—thoughts that precede actions?
Related:
Henry A Giroux. Dangerous Pedagogy in the Age of Casino Capitalism and Religious Fundamentalism. truthout, 2012
Terry Eagleton. Pedants and Partisans. The Guardian, 2003
Sam Harris and Andrew Sullivan. Is Religion 'Built on Lies'? Beliefnet, 2007
Toddi Steelman on Science and Politics, from (and linked to) her 2011 TED Lecture: "My Jihad Against Scientific Fundamentalism"
Dave Iverson. My Wars Against Economic Fundamentalism
Kathryn Shultz. Being Wrong: 2011 TED Lecture
Kathryn Schulz's book Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error
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