TABLE OF CONTENTS

Last Updated 8-30-07.

NOTE:The five chapters in my E-book "Depolarizing a Hostile World" that have been posted on the web for over three years have been removed from the web to make their contents more easily accessible for study. I am publishing those chapters, with slight revisions and additions, in the form of two books. I expect the first book to be available from Xlibris.com's bookstore, under the title PEACE IS POSSIBLE [Chapters 4 & 5], by October. The second book DEPOLARIZATION - A KEY TO PEACEMAKING [Chapters 1, 2, 3, & the Epilogue] should be available by November. They will also be available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders a few months later

NOTE: In the absence of page numbers, I have added letters to identify each sub-section in my posted Chapters, so that if you need to refer to a few sentences, you should indicate the Chapter number, the sub-section letter, and the date when the posting was last updated to identify the location of the sentences.

PREFACE - DEPOLARIZING A HOSTILE WORLD - A KEY TO PEACEMAKING

INTRODUCTION - A
CHAPTER SUMMARIES - B
WHY DO THEY HATE US? -C

CHAPTER 1 - PSYCHO-SOCIAL AND MORAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION - A
VARIATIONS IN CHARACTER AND GENERAL TRENDS IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT - B
THREE TYPES OF CHARACTER FOUND IN MODERN SOCIETIES - C
HARDWIRING OF THE BRAIN BEFORE AGE 3 - D
EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT - BECOMING INDEPENDENT - E
KEY STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADOLESCENTS - F
EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT STYLES OF THINKING - G
BUILDING WALLS PROVIDES SECURITY AGAINST DOUBT AND DIVERSITY - H
THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY - I
THE IMPORTANCE OF RELEVANT STORIES - J
LEARNING TO TAKE THE PERSPECTIVE OF OTHERS - K
LEARNING HOW TO BE MORAL - L
MORAL DEVELOPMENT IS A PROCESS THAT INCLUDES SEVERAL LEVELS OF PERSPECTIVE TAKING - M
FROM SUBJECTIVE INVISIBLE SELF TO OBJECTIVE VISIBLE SELF - N
GLOBALIZATION OF COMMUNICATION - O
EIGHT LEVELS OF PERSPECTIVE TAKING - P
PERSPECTIVE-TAKING IS ESSENTIAL TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS - Q
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS - R
CONCLUSIONS - S

CHAPTER 2 - A FOUNDATION FOR VIEWING RELIGION AND GOVERNANCE AS INSTITUTIONS IN A CHANGING WORLD

INTRODUCTION - A
DISCUSSIONS SOMETIMES END IN POLARIZATION OF THE PARTICIPANTS - B
UNCONSCIOUS NEEDS -C
PERSONAL IDENTITY CRISES -D
SOCIETAL TRANSITION CRISES -E
THE BOOMER GENERATION - F
VARIATIONS IN BELIEFS, DOGMAS AND CONSTRUCTIONS OF REALITY - G
IMAGES OF GOD - TRANSCENDENT, WITHIN EACH OF US, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH - H
INTRODUCTION TO ASPECTS OF SPIRITUALITY - I
YOUTH AT THE TURN OF THIS MILLENIUM - J
APPROACHES TO DIVERSITY AND CRITICAL THINKING AMONG THE THREE ABRAHAMIC FAITHS - K
JEWISH APPROACHES TO CRITICAL THINKING AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW OTHER FAITHS - L
CHRISTIAN APPROACHES TO CRITICAL THINKING AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW OTHER FAITHS - M
APPROACHES OF ISLAM TO CRITICAL THINKING AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW OTHER FAITHS - N
CONCLUSIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT USES OF CRITICAL THINKING - O

CHAPTER 3 - TRUE RELIGIOUS PLURALISM

INTRODUCTION - A
BASIC VALUES OF MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS - B
DIVERSITY - C
EFFECTS OF ASSIMILATION ON IMMIGRANTS TO AMERICA - D
DIFFERENCES IN APPROACHES TO RELIGION BY MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS - E
EXTREMISTS AND CAUSES OF MILITANCY- F
FUNDAMENTALISM IS A WORD OF MANY MEANINGS - G
WHY DO THEY HATE US? - H
ONE IMPORTANT CULTURAL DIFFERENCE - HONOR, GUILT, AND SHAME - I
IS THERE HOPE OF INCREASING TOLERANCE IN UNCERTAIN TIMES? - J
THE IMPORTANCE OF STORIES THAT DESCRIBE HOW OTHERS LIVE - K
STORIES AND TRADITIONS NEED UPDATING AND REINTERPRETATION - L
ADAPTING SACRED STORIES TO SOCIO-CULTURAL CHANGE - M
WHOSE STORIES SHOULD A PERSON BELIEVE? - N
CHANGES RESULTING FROM INCREASES IN DIVERSITY - O
ORGANIZING THE FOREGOING INTO SYSTEMS USEFUL FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT - P
CONCLUSIONS - Q

CHAPTER 4 - MORE EFFECTIVE PEACEMAKING

INTRODUCTION - A
PEACEMAKING, RECONCILIATION, AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM - B
EXAMPLES OF INCREASING THE SCALE OF JUSTICE SYSTEMS - C
EFFECTIVE AND FAIR SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE ARE ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCKS TOWARD PEACE - D
INCREASING SCALES OF GOVERNANCE CREATE NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE - E
CHANGING INFORMATION CONTEXTS - COMMUNICATION NOW PENETRATES EVERYWHERE IN A MATTER OF SECONDS - F
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT - G
AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE - INTERCOMMUNITY COMPETITION AND CONFLICT - H
INSTITUTIONS AND INCREASING SCALES OF COMMITMENT - I
CONFLICT RESOLUTION - J
EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL NONVIOLENT ACTIONS LED BY CHARISMATIC PEOPLE WITH HOLISTIC WORLDVIEWS - K
PEACEMAKING OFTEN ENTAILS CULTURAL CHANGE - L
STRENGTHENING SOCIAL CAPITAL - M
HOW YOUTH ARE EDUCATED IS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION - N
THE INTERNET CAN HELP DIALOGUE AND LEARNING RELATED TO PEACEMAKING - O
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEAR - P
ALTRUISM AND PEACEMAKING - Q
CONCLUSIONS - R
RECENT BOOKS, POSTINGS, AND CHAPTERS THAT ARE HELPFUL - S

CHAPTER 5 - PEACEMAKING AND CONCLUSIONS.

INTRODUCTION - A
IDEAS ON PEACEMAKING GENERATED BY MARC GOPIN AND R. SCOTT APPLEBY - B
THE AMERICAN EMPIRE AND GLOBAL CORPORATIONS - C
HADITH RELATED TO PEACEMAKING -D
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHURCH - E
SPIRITUALITY IN PERSONS AND IN INSTITUTIONS - F
WORKING FOR PEACE - G
RELATING THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE COMPLEX OF SYSTEMS IN WHICH WE ALL ARE EMBEDDED - H
COMPONENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUILDING MUTUAL TRUST AND PEACE IN A DIVERSE INTERCONNECTED WORLD - I
BROADENING THE EDUCATION OF OUR YOUNG AND BRIDLING COMPETITION - J
CONCLUSIONS - K

EPILOGUE

APPENDIX - UNDERSTANDING FORCES CONFRONTING MUSLIM YOUTH.

INTRODUCTION - A
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND AUTHORITARIAN, PATRIARCHAL TRADITIONS - B
SHAME, HONOR AND GUILT - C
RESPONSES TO INCREASING THE SCALES OF COMMUNITIES OF COMMITMENT - D
CONSTRUCTING PERSONAL AND GROUP IDENTITIES HAS BECOME DIFFICULT - E
IDENTITY AS A PROBLEM FOR MUSLIM COLLEGE STUDENTS - F
COMPONENTS OF IDENTITY - G
CULTURE CHANGE IS A PROBLEM - H
EXTREMIST IDENTITIES - I
CHANGING IDENTITIES FOR YOUTH MOVING FROM RURAL FARM AND TOWN CULTURES TO LARGE POSTMODERN CITIES - J
ISLAMIC MOVEMENTS AMONG YOUTH - K
A NEED TO IMPROVE SKILLS OF CRITICAL THINKING - L
CONCLUSIONS - M

APPENDIX 2 - OUTLINE ON PEACEMAKING FROM RAUF'S BOOK - WHAT'S RIGHT WITH ISLAM