Sociology of Terrorism. The Herostratus Syndrome

Abstract

The case of Herostratus is well known: in the night of July 21, 356 BC, seeking notoriety, he burned down the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in ancient Greece, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Far from attempting to evade responsibility for his act of arson, Herostratus proudly claimed credit in an attempt to immortalize his name. To dissuade those of a similar mind, the Ephesian authorities not only executed him, but attempted to condemn him to a legacy of obscurity by forbidding mention of his name under penalty of death. However, this did not stop Herostratus from achieving his goal because the ancient historian Theopompus recorded the event and its perpetrator in his Hellenics. In the Albert Borowitz’s book titled: “Terrorism for Self-glorification: The Herostratus Syndrome” the study of Herostratus syndrome shows us some issues of this syndrome could heighten our sense when we appraise the odds in the human struggle against all forms of terrorism today. It is true that the impulse to commit terrorist acts in quest of fame is sometimes deeply imbedded in the human personality and especially these last years when terrorist use more and more spectacular methods. In our study we will try to show how the sociological characteristics of these crimes which could give a new typology of terrorism act. By using examples such as Al Qaeda organizations or the recent ISIS acts we could observe the social impact of their crimes is more than ephemeral, like Herostratus action 24 centuries ago. This sociological typology of terrorist acts could be useful into understanding that even terrorism could be a new form of war, the origins of this compulsion for glory remains difficult to probe and most of cases impossible for detectives to profile. But for us sociologists it is important to make a clear distinction between the hunters of simple negative fame and, even if our society cannot obliterate the name of the glory seeker, as the Ephesians unsuccessfully sought to do, make possible to resist the temptation to convert the criminal into a media star. Because in this case the social impact of terrorism could be bigger.