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C’mon, admit it, you knew it was coming…
Highly intelligent people can believe conspiracy theories. I know several examples . I think I was more inclined to CT reasoning several years ago. Simply seeing how often I’m wrong was a good tonic
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary levels of evidence. That’s it, basically.
ETA. David Hume wrote in 1748: “A wise man … proportions his belief to the evidence”, and “No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish.”[2]
The more people feel a lack of control, the more the will cling to CTs that explain that lack, as long as the blAme is laid at someone else’s door.
And they are far better at justifying and rationalizing their weird beliefs than the average Joe or Jane.
One of the most popular Facebook conspiracy theories here locally is that it is face masks that are actually causing people to be ill. Apparently people wearing masks are supposedly inhaling fibers that are causing severe lung damage and death. My wife and some of her nurse friends are swooping in and trying to debunk this crap when it springs up among her friends, but it is like trying to reverse the tide.
I am dumbfounded about how many people would rather believe anything besides the obvious fact that we are being attacked by a virus that we have no immunity for.
Hahah. Reminds me of the old chestnut from the Vatican’s prelates in Africa: " Condoms cause AIDS"
Family member: “I heard that ________________”
Me: “Where did you hear that?”
Family member: “Well, i saw it on Facebook…”
Me: Ends conversation
This is lesson 1 on dealing with conspiracy theories. You’re welcome.
Always the “other” ________.
Another excellent, well layed out piece from Publica.
Or face masks allow viruses to move into the brain. That is why a person sneezes. The mechanism is meant to fling the ____ away from the face thus removing any chance that one would inhale and/or force the ____ into the brain.
Many people are saying that watermelon masks are apparently effective…
The tenacity of these ideas is a constant surpirse. Unfortunately, this has been going on in politics, especially, American politics, for a very, very longtime.
Why are Conspiracy Theories so popular?
Here is why:
“Never under estimate the stupidity of people in large groups.”
There is no purpose in nature, but what you describe functions as a defense mechanism. As I recall sneezing is a reflex. It happens on a spinal level and not as a signal from the brain as with voluntary actions.
ETA: Times of stress create an environment rich for rumor and conspiracy. Social media have made this phenomenon worse in that they give a tool to people with an agenda – often agenda with a political purpose.
Eric “Freddo” Trump believes or claims to believe that Democrats have the ability to make Covid-19 disappear but are waiting until Nov 4 to do so. That may be the most outlandish CT of all…
People who believe in conspiracies, rumors, unlikely events are probably those with the same intelligence in an IQ sense. HOW one thinks is a result of education and training. One might be, say, a brilliant engineer, but believe in some cockamamie conspiracy theory if he/she does not know how to “parse” these theories or is skeptical about something that just seems unlikely. Or, go to fact check or snopes. Having said all that, if a person has some strong need to believe some falsity, he/she will damn it. For ex, I had a woman tell me snopes was a liberal website and was not to be believed. What’s a mother to do?
As the reporter points out, real conspiracies usually get exposed.