Epistemological Analysis of the Basic Terminological Definitions of the Term Terrorism

The subject of this paper is an epistemological analysis of the basic terminological definitions of the term terrorism. The paper, from a theoretical and methodological point of view, confirms earlier knowledge that there is no uniformity in the definition of terrorism in world literature and international legal legislation. Descriptions and scientific explanations of the meaning of the term terrorism by numerous authors are very diverse, starting with the fact that organized crime is a part of terrorism, and ending with the fact that piracy is a terrorist act. From an epistemological point of view, the paper confirms that, ranging from the phenomenology of the terrorist act to what leaves consequences for the victim, there are great differences in the understanding of the phenomenon of terrorism. The results of the comparative analysis of the available theoretical and legal definitions of terrorism confirmed that there is no necessary level of agreement regarding the definition of terrorism in domestic, European and world literature. The collision between the theoretical definitions of this term and the definitions of terrorism in legal acts on the prevention of terrorist financing is particularly noticeable. Precisely because of the lack of a generally acceptable definition of the term terrorism in legislative legal acts at the international level, it often happened that one person or socio-political group was treated as terrorists in some cases, while another person or socio-political group in the same or similar situations, freedom fighters. Starting from such a point of view, in the conclusion of the work, a synthetic, working and characteristic definition of terrorism is offered, which can represent a modest contribution to the construction of an internationally acceptable scientific definition of terrorism as a complex and complex socio-political phenomenon. The proposed definition has an epistemological cognitive value, because it contains the basic meaning of the term terrorism. In addition, the proposed definition fulfils all eight methodological criteria for defining theoretical terms, first of all, the criteria of objectivity and content, diversity and inclusiveness, complexity and development, equivalence and proportionality, as well as the criterion of dialectics.