Panu Höglund

Tá an sceimhlitheoireacht go mór mór i mbéal an phobail faoi láthair, agus is mór an cheist í cad é a dhéanas sceimhlitheoir den duine agus cad is mar a thiocfadh linn fir óga a stopadh ó dhul le sceimhlitheoireacht.

Ceann de na freagraí is suimiúla a tugadh ar an gceist seo ná gurb iad na hinnealtóirí is mó atá i mbaol, chomh líonmhar is a bhíos siad sna dreamanna sceimhlitheoireachta. An chéad rud a rithfeadh leat ná gurb iad a gcuid scileanna proifisiúnta a theastaíos san obair, ach tá an scéal níos casta ná sin. Is minic a bhíos na hinnealtóirí i gceannas ar na dronga, in áit a bheith ag cur buamaí i dtoll le chéile, agus ní hiad na scileanna innealtóireachta a fhágas ansin iad.

Cheapfá go mbeadh céim ag a lán de na sceimhlitheoirí bunúsaíocha Ioslamacha sa léann Ioslamach, ach ní mar a shíltear a bhítear – tá na céimeanna innealtóireachta i bhfad níos coitianta. Tá sé incheaptha, fiú, go bhfuil lucht saothraithe na diagachta Ioslamaí níos díonta ar an mbolscaireacht bhunúsaíoch ná na tuataí Muslamacha.

Cad é is cúis leis seo? Ar dtús ní mór a aithint, go simplí, go n-oiltear a lán innealtóirí i dtíortha Arabacha. Nuair a bhí ceannairí náisiúnaíocha – ar nós Gamal Abdel Nasser san Éigipt, cuir i gcás – ag iarraidh na tíortha céanna a thabhairt chun nua-aimsearthachta, bhí siad barúlach gurbh í an innealtóireacht an eochair a d’osclódh doras na todhchaí agus gurbh iad na scileanna innealtóireachta a d’fhág an tIarthar chomh sona saibhir. Má tá a lán innealtóirí ann agus cuid mhór acu fágtha gan obair, ní díol iontais é má thagtar trasna orthu i measc na sceimhlitheoirí féin.

Is féidir, áfach, cuid den mhilleán a fhágáil ar mheon an innealtóra. Cé gur gnách linn glacadh leis go bhfuil oiliúint an innealtóra cosúil le hoideachas an eolaí ó thaobh an ábhair de, tá cur chuige an eolaí taighde beagnach bun os cionn le dearcadh an innealtóra.

An t-eolaí atá ag obair i bhforas taighde is dual dósan amhras a chur in eolas na dtéacsleabhar agus sna teoiricí seanbhunaithe, nó tuigeann sé nach bhfuil iontusan ach uirlisí, agus go bhfuil sé ar a chumas féin, mar speisialtóir oilte, uirlis níos fearr a oibriú amach más gá. Fiosrúchán eolaíochta is gairm bheatha don eolaí, tar éis an tsaoil.

An t-innealtóir áfach, is éard atá idir lámhaibh aigesean ná an eolaíocht a chur i bhfeidhm le fadhbanna praiticiúla a fhuascailt. Ní maith leisean amhras a chur sna fírinní téacsleabhair, ó tá sé ina dtuilleamaí le háirimh phraiticiúla a dhéanamh. Is fearr leis, fiú, glacadh leis na téacsleabhair mar a bheadh briathar doshéanta Dé iontu. Agus ar ndóigh is iomaí duine den cheird a shíleas go bhfuil sé féin i seilbh na fírinne deifnidí.

Más é sin an dearcadh a bhíos ag an innealtóir ar an eolaíocht, is furasta a shamhlú go bhfuil de chlaonadh ann an dearcadh céanna a chur i bhfeidhm ar an reiligiún.

Scríbhneoir Gaeilge ón bhFionlainn é Panu Höglund.

Terrorism is a hotly debated topic at the moment, and it is a big question as to why people become terrorists, and how young men could be stopped from becoming terrorists.

One of the most interesting answers is that it’s mostly engineers who are at risk, as they abound in terrorist groups. To start with, you’d think that their professional skills are needed in that line of work, but the story is more complicated than that. Often engineers are leading the groups, rather than assembling bombs, so it’s not the engineering skills it’s all about.

You’d think that many fundamentalist Islamist terrorists would have a degree in Islamic studies, but that’s not the way it works – engineering degrees are much more common. It is even plausible that students of Islamic theology are more immune to fundamentalist propaganda than lay Muslims.

What is the reason for this? First of all, it should be acknowledged that they simply educate lots of engineers in Arab countries. Back when nationalist leaders, such as Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt, were trying to ‘modernise’ these countries, they thought that engineering was the key to the future, and that engineering skills had made western countries so happy and rich. If there are lots of unemployed engineers around, it’s no surprise that some of them are found among terrorists.

Part of the blame can be placed on the engineer mentality, though. Although we tend to take it for granted that there is little difference between engineer training and scientific education as far as content is concerned, the research scientist’s approach is quite far removed from the engineer’s view.

The research scientist must always be able to question the textbook information and established theories, as he understands that they are only instruments and that as a trained specialist he is basically able to construct better instruments, if needed. After all, the scientist’s life is about scientific inquiry.

What the engineer does, however, is about applying science to practical problems. He does not want to question the textbook truths because he depends on them for making practical calculations. He even might prefer to treat his textbooks as God’s infallible word. And of course lots of people of the trade think they are themselves guardians of the definitive truth.

If that is the engineer’s view of science, it is easy to imagine that he has a certain tendency to apply the same view to religion.

Panu Höglund is from Finland and writes in Irish.