Discrete simulation of the dynamics of spread of extreme opinions in a society

We propose a discrete model for how opinions about a given "extreme" subject, about which various groups of a population have different degrees of enthusiasm for or susceptibility to, such as fanaticism, extreme social and political positions, and terrorism, may spread. The model, in a certain limit, is the discrete analogue of a deterministic continuum model suggested by others. We carry out extensive computer simulation of the model by utilizing it on lattices with infinite- or short-range interactions, and on symmetric and hierarchical (or directed) Barabasi-Albert scale-free networks. Several interesting features of the model are demonstrated, and comparison is made with the deterministic continuum model. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.