“The authors instead conclude that the phenomenon is explained by a combination of mindset and professional circumstance. Citing studies finding that engineers as a group are more politically conservative than other professions, Gambetta and Hertog write that engineers by nature are more likely to be drawn to the kind of rigid, hierarchical worldviews that radical Islam provides: Their governing mentality ‘inclines them to take more extreme conservative and religious positions everywhere.’”
Utter stupidity. Engineering can also be called “applied science” or “problem solving through applied science.” Engineers deal with the real world. You can’t design a bridge, circuit, chair, or just about anyting else by “feeling” or “wishing.” You have to deal with the objective facts. That’s why engineers tend to be conservative — they deal with reality, not fantasy (a requirement to be a leftist).
It’s also no surprise that wanna-be terrorists go into engineering. The combination of problem solving and basic (and often advanced) science is VERY useful in a military context. The article mixes cause and effect.
PS Some of the comments up-thread about engineers show some real ignorance.
The problem with us engineers, however, is that we tend to treat human situations like we're designing a bridge or a chair. Our contempt for "feeling" or "wishing" is fine for hardware, and damaging to our ability to deal with people as people.