The central issue of our time is the issue of corporate power vs. democractic self-government. For those on the side of democracy, it is the issue of how to bring existing huge corporate power under democratic control and eliminate its reckless pursuit of profit and natural resources, a pursuit that now aims to secure permanent enormous global benefits for those within the sphere of corporate power and privilege, at the terrible, criminal, and unjust expense of the legitimate interests and lives of everyone else, including the life of the planet.
In one sense, this is not an issue at all because it has been kept out of the arena of general public debate. The fact that it is not seriously discussed (except in the alternative world of activists) is a sign of the true dominance of corporate power. It is in the interests of corporate power to keep such an issue out of the larger public mind, and they have succeeded in doing that.
In large part, terrorism is a reaction to corporate power and its abusive policies. But those behind terrorism are not worried about democratic self-government. For them, the issue is different. It is about corporate power vs. Islamic life. It is about the struggle to maintain a public life that follows God's law and His plan. It is about attaining the freedom that comes by following the word of God.
Those who believe in democratic self-government demand that dominating ideas be subjected to serious discussion, so that society can avoid error and get closer to the truth. They do not believe that one can know that certain privileged beliefs are true without subjecting those beliefs to empirical critical evaluation and analysis. And they hold that everyone should be allowed to contribute to the debate since different points of view will help ensure that important ideas and criticisms are not missed and that errors will be avoided. Also, it will help ensure that ideas will not treat some as means to the ends of others without their free, informed consent.
