SPOOKS are kept awake at night by the knowledge that there is no reliable way to spot a potential terrorist. Now, after trawling data since the 1970s, a study has found that engineers are three to four times as likely as other graduates to belong to a violent Islamic group in the Muslim world (see 鈥淭here鈥檚 something about engineers鈥︹��).
The researchers suggest that this link may be to do with personality, and say there is some evidence that engineers are more likely to be intolerant of ambiguity, believe society can be made to work like clockwork, and to dislike democracy because it involves compromise.
Any new insight into what makes a terrorist is always welcome. But, given that this is a weak correlation and the word 鈥渆ngineer鈥� covers such a dizzying array of disciplines, this one is unlikely to be useful.
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