Suicide bombers & martyr culture

Lecture and discussion with Matthias Kettner

The practice of suicide bombing is an inhumane weapon in militant struggle. The people who turn their bodies into bombs or have them turned into bombs have very different motives. Where their acts are framed by a well-rehearsed cult of martyrdom, such as in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, the certainty of after-retirement in the memory of their relatives and comrades-in-arms forms an important affirmation of their actions that is difficult to comprehend from the outside. The lecture will deal with this toxic form of culture.

Prof. Dr. Matthias Kettner is a philosopher and professor of practical philosophy at the Faculty of Economics and Society at the Private University of Witten-Herdecke.