rebecca's pocket

» In an effort to understand one of the most influential men in modern history, 10 professors at Vanderbilt University have created an Osama Bin Laden reading club. There's been so little careful reflection on how bin Laden thinks. For most of us, the media presentations ... have been 30- or 40-second summaries, [but] it struck us that he couldn't have all that power if he were simply a sociopath.... What he did was monstrous, but ... he can't be stupid." Volney Gay, director of Vanderbilt's Center for the Study of Religion and Culture. (via rw)