Is Everyone a Conspiracy Theorist in One Way or Another?

[SomeRandom]

I find some conspiracy theories amusing. Does that count?

 

[QuestioningMind]

Okay, if plotting is a prerequisite to conspiracy theories, then I have to edit the title to just "theory" or "theorize"... But I don't know that that will work either, because science has defined a theory as something *with* evidence... So I don't even know if there's a word in the English language for what I'm talking about.

Hypothesize.

 

[exchemist]

How easy or difficult do you suspect it might be for a conspiracy theorist to abandon his faith in his belief?

From what I have read, people who go in for one conspiracy theory are likely to go in for several. It's a mindset thing, apparently. So I imagine while they may give one up, if it is well enough debunked, they may well just pick up another one.

 

[Father Heathen]

Critical thinking tends to prevent people from swallowing convoluted, cockamame conspiracy BS.

 

[Sunstone]

is that your theory???

I haven't bothered to come up with a theory yet. Not sure it's even on my list of things to theorize about. The world should be grateful to me for that.

 

[Revoltingest]

Most people are conspiracy theorists.
And those who are believe that only other people's conspiracy
theories are false, & that their own are evidenced, eg...
the Military Industrial Complex, the Oligarchy, faked Moon landings,
chemtrails, Biden stole the election, Trump as a Russian agent,
the gay agenda, Satan, the commies, the 100mpg carburetor,
the water engine, alien technology.

 

[Cooky]

Critical thinking tends to prevent people from swallowing convoluted, cockamame conspiracy BS.

But drawing mental abstractions are a kind of critical thinking.

For instance, a person will see a famous child-molesting celebrity in the news, and then a month later a child molesting priest in the news, and then a month later, he will see random politicians in photographs with both priests and said celebrity.

...It would be through critical thinking that one would attempt to draw a personal conclusion, by combining the three isolated incidents as a single collective thought -- That there exists a group of wealthy elitists, who regularly molest and have sex with children.

Now that seems crazy to me, and I don’t believe there exists such a group, because all those incidents were actually isolated instances in reality, but it seems like fairly common human behavior for people to combine them as one for some reason, and I'm determined to get to the very root of the problem.

...I wonder if there is a new kind of *thinking* that we can evolve toward, that would eliminate this human problem.

 

[ChristineM]

Most people are conspiracy theorists.
And those who are believe that only other people's conspiracy
theories are false, & that their own are evidenced, eg...
the Military Industrial Complex, the Oligarchy, faked Moon landings,
chemtrails, Biden stole the election, Trump as a Russian agent,
the gay agenda, Satan, the commies, the 100mpg carburetor,
the water engine, alien technology.

Well who invented the 100mph water driven chemtrail is it wasn't trumps Russian aliens??? Check mate

 

[Cooky]

Most people are conspiracy theorists.
And those who are believe that only other people's conspiracy
theories are false, & that their own are evidenced, eg...
the Military Industrial Complex, the Oligarchy, faked Moon landings,
chemtrails, Biden stole the election, Trump as a Russian agent,
the gay agenda, Satan, the commies, the 100mpg carburetor,
the water engine, alien technology.

I think this would be a fine place, for those who accused Trump of working as an agent of Russia, to come forward and admit they're guilty as well of holding conspiracy theories.

But it also tells me that bias can play a major role in conspiratorial thought... Another human instinct... This is getting complicated.

 

[Valjean]

People conspire (plan). That's our nature.

 

[Cooky]

People conspire (plan). That's our nature.

It might not always be... If humanity can survive 500,000 more years somehow, either here or somewhere else, surely our thinking process could evolve into something more beneficial... I just wonder what that could be.

...Really the potential seems limitless, considering all the thinking traits humans possess now compared to say ancient reptiles for example... Who knows how far the mind can go in the future?

 

[Stevicus]

Is it possible that through our human nature, being abstract thinkers, that we are all bound to some kind of conspiracy theory or another? Search deep within yourself and others, and see if you can find evidence of a belief or "hunch" based on merely putting 2 and 2 together, but lacking actual evidence.

Remember, statistics aren't always "evidence"... If statistics are based on raw numbers, then only those numbers are facts, but it takes conspiratorial thought to assume those numbers are as they are because of any said reason.

...So think about it. Think about the deep seated harm that conspiratorial thought causes all around the world... And then think about how we can get around it. Also, if someone here can claim to be conspiracy-free, then please explain how you think you came to be this way.

Here's something I've learned...

Most conspiracy theories occur by two reasons I know of.

1. We see three different similar cases, at three different times. Our minds kick into "abstract thinking" mode, and automatically attempt to draw a conclusion by linking 3 different, distinct cases, that are actually in no way physically related by natural instinct.
   
2. We are told something over and over and over, whether it be on the news, or constantly reciting scriptures, and then the "abstract thinking" part of our mind activates, and stamps it as a belief in our long term memory bank.

Thanks for your participation.

Much of it might depend on how one actually defines "conspiracy theory." For the most part, the term has become a pejorative to ridicule anyone who has a non-standard opinion. Someone might say "I believe that politician A might be corrupt," and a supporter of politician A might respond, "Oh, I suppose you also believe in aliens and wear a tinfoil hat!" It's a statement designed to deflect any criticism of politician A and put it back on the individual making the allegation. It's an old political tactic which should be easy to spot, but many people can't.

Political corruption is a reality, a fact of life which has existed for as long as human politics have existed. A "conspiracy theory" is merely an allegation of political corruption - or sometimes it's only a suggestion of it without making an outright accusation or bringing formal charges. Sometimes, it might be more in the realm of speculation and rumor, without a sufficient degree of verifiable hard evidence.

I think it's interesting to look at a lot of the rhetorical tactics and tricks that get used, especially when there's a discussion about "conspiracy theories" in one form or another. Most of the time, it's indicative of political partisanship.

I don't think conspiracy theories were really believed to be a bad thing when I was growing up. I remember a popular book back in the 70s was "The Peoples Almanac" (the same writers as "The Book of Lists") which contained some "conspiratorial" kind of rhetoric. Even the U.S. Congress revisited the JFK Assassination and suggested that there was a probable conspiracy. After Watergate, Vietnam, the Pentagon Papers, and a whole host of other reported government misdeeds and malfeasance, the general public was probably a bit more cynical than they were at any period before or since.

Another aspect of conspiracy theories which doesn't often get addressed is that they tend to make the public feel so powerless and unable to change their current situation. They paint secret organizations and rogue elements in government as being so powerful and above the law to the point of having near godlike abilities. They're not talking about a "conspiracy" as much as portraying some kind of secret world dictatorship.

Although I've studied enough history and politics to observe certain constants and commonalities when it comes to human societies and the ways and means of government, it's difficult to know what's really going on in the inner circles of political and economic power in this country. If some people suggest that there was a conspiracy to assassinate JFK, who am I to say that they're wrong? I wasn't there, so I don't really know.

One thing I've noticed in some discussions I've seen regarding the JFK assassination (and this might apply to other topics as well) is that, for the most part, neither side really is speaking from direct, personal knowledge of the event. They haven't personally reviewed all the forensic evidence or documents - and most people wouldn't have the expertise to makes heads or tails out of it even if they did. Their arguments tend to rest on their assessment and readings of actual experts who have reviewed the evidence, although this is where it can get a bit dicey.

Another thought that just came to mind is that people are often intrigued by mysteries and detective stories. One of my favorite TV shows was "The Rockford Files," and he might come across some serious wrongdoing but the police would never believe him. He'd keep probing around until he caught the crooks red-handed and had enough evidence to turn them in. That's a common trope in popular culture, where someone has some cockeyed "theory," nobody believes him, and then he turns out to be right.

EDIT: Since I brought up The Rockford Files, I recall an episode where he had to deal with some ragtag "militia" group which tried to frame him for murder. They seemed to fit the caricature of "conspiracy theorist," as depicted in this scene;

 

[Father Heathen]

But drawing mental abstractions are a kind of critical thinking.

For instance, a person will see a famous child molesting celebrity in the news, and then a month later a child molesting priest in the news, and then a month later, he will see random politicians in photographs with both priests and said celebrity.

...It would be through critical thinking that one would attempt to draw a personal conclusion, by combining the three isolated incidents as a single collective thought -- That there exists a group of wealthy elitists, who regularly molest and have sex with children.

Now that seems crazy to me, and I don’t believe there exists such a group, because all those incidents were actually isolated instances in reality, but it seems like fairly common human behavior for people to combine them as one for some reason, and I'm determined to get to the very root of the problem.

...I wonder if there is a new kind of *thinking* that we can evolve toward, that would eliminate this human problem.

Connections can make for possibilities and probabilities, but it's nothing more than empty speculation and presumptions without actual evidence examined through an objective lens.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Is it possible that through our human nature, being abstract thinkers, that we are all bound to some kind of conspiracy theory or another? Search deep within yourself and others, and see if you can find evidence of a belief or "hunch" based on merely putting 2 and 2 together, but lacking actual evidence.

Remember, statistics aren't always "evidence"... If statistics are based on raw numbers, then only those numbers are facts, but it takes conspiratorial thought to assume those numbers are as they are because of any said reason.

...So think about it. Think about the deep seated harm that conspiratorial thought causes all around the world... And then think about how we can get around it. Also, if someone here can claim to be conspiracy-free, then please explain how you think you came to be this way.

Here's something I've learned...

Most conspiracy theories occur by two reasons I know of.

1. We see three different similar cases, at three different times. Our minds kick into "abstract thinking" mode, and automatically attempt to draw a conclusion by linking 3 different, distinct cases, that are actually in no way physically related by natural instinct.
   
2. We are told something over and over and over, whether it be on the news, or constantly reciting scriptures, and then the "abstract thinking" part of our mind activates, and stamps it as a belief in our long term memory bank.

Thanks for your participation.

Can't vote on the choices you provided.

But you left something out. Even if it is true that we draw conclusions based on the evidence we have, the difference between conspiracy theorists and more rational thinkers is that the conspiracist stops looking at any further evidence once they've arrived at a theory that suits them. The rest of us can change our minds, when presented with additional information.

 

[Secret Chief]

Most people are conspiracy theorists.
And those who are believe that only other people's conspiracy
theories are false, & that their own are evidenced, eg...
the Military Industrial Complex, the Oligarchy, faked Moon landings,
chemtrails, Biden stole the election, Trump as a Russian agent,
the gay agenda, Satan, the commies, the 100mpg carburetor,
the water engine, alien technology.

This is the second time in a week I've agreed with you. Perhaps I should take a break from RF.

 

[Secret Chief]

Can't vote on the choices you provided.

But you left something out. Even if it is true that we draw conclusions based on the evidence we have, the difference between conspiracy theorists and more rational thinkers is that the conspiracist stops looking at any further evidence once they've arrived at a theory that suits them. The rest of us can change our minds, when presented with additional information.

Confirmation bias is in us all, is it not?

 

[Stevicus]

Can't vote on the choices you provided.

But you left something out. Even if it is true that we draw conclusions based on the evidence we have, the difference between conspiracy theorists and more rational thinkers is that the conspiracist stops looking at any further evidence once they've arrived at a theory that suits them. The rest of us can change our minds, when presented with additional information.

I think it varies, as one can still be called a conspiracy theorist while still prefacing it as speculation and making the usual disclaimers. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're not looking at further evidence or that they're closed minded to other theories or possible explanations.

What I've noticed more often is that, from those who tend to oppose conspiracy theories, there's no "middle ground" that they'll allow for. That's what I noticed among those who argued against those who posited conspiracy theories regarding JFK. If someone didn't express absolute 100% certainty that Oswald acted alone, they were immediately relegated to the "conspiracy nut-job, tinfoil hat" crowd.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Confirmation bias is in us all, is it not?

Sure, but if you know it, you can at least try to work around it. Provided, of course, you really want to know, rather than simply be ratified.

 

[Nakosis]

Is it possible that through our human nature, being abstract thinkers, that we are all bound to some kind of conspiracy theory or another? Search deep within yourself and others, and see if you can find evidence of a belief or "hunch" based on merely putting 2 and 2 together, but lacking actual evidence.

Remember, statistics aren't always "evidence"... If statistics are based on raw numbers, then only those numbers are facts, but it takes conspiratorial thought to assume those numbers are as they are because of any said reason.

...So think about it. Think about the deep seated harm that conspiratorial thought causes all around the world... And then think about how we can get around it. Also, if someone here can claim to be conspiracy-free, then please explain how you think you came to be this way.

Here's something I've learned...

Most conspiracy theories occur by two reasons I know of.

1. We see three different similar cases, at three different times. Our minds kick into "abstract thinking" mode, and automatically attempt to draw a conclusion by linking 3 different, distinct cases, that are actually in no way physically related by natural instinct.
   
2. We are told something over and over and over, whether it be on the news, or constantly reciting scriptures, and then the "abstract thinking" part of our mind activates, and stamps it as a belief in our long term memory bank.

Thanks for your participation.

I don't think humans are smart enough/organized enough to do the secret cabal thing. Certainty there are groups about willing to take advantage of one does happen. I suspect there exists enough randomness/unpredictability to prevent any groups from exerting the necessary control to effectively control world events.

 

[Stevicus]

Most people are conspiracy theorists.
And those who are believe that only other people's conspiracy
theories are false, & that their own are evidenced, eg...
the Military Industrial Complex, the Oligarchy, faked Moon landings,
chemtrails, Biden stole the election, Trump as a Russian agent,
the gay agenda, Satan, the commies, the 100mpg carburetor,
the water engine, alien technology.

More people tend to believe conspiracy theories about other governments than their own.

Conspiracy theories which involve the U.S. government can sometimes entail a test of patriotism. Not that they would have had any more or less information, as all they really have to go by is what other people tell them, whether it's the government, the media, or some guy at the bus station.

I don't know if most people truly, actually believe any of these actual theories of the kind you're citing here. A few people might, while others might see it in terms of different degrees of probability. But I also think it can be an indicator or measure in how must distrust people have in the government and media overall.

In fact, there is so much mistrust and cynicism about the government that it's become a significant part of the culture itself, even if it doesn't necessarily focus on conspiracy theories. For example, many politicians use political slogans about "fighting special interests," but perceptions of "special interests" are, in a way, conspiracy theories of a different sort.

But I think people might be inclined to believe in a certain level of standard political corruption and personal greed which are prone to happening in any large organization run by fallible human beings (especially when it involves a lot of money and power).

It doesn't mean they believe in some of the crazier allegations which are out there.

If someone told me that the Moon landings were faked, I wouldn't believe it out of hand, but on the other hand, I wasn't there, so I can't personally attest to them not being faked. Moreover, no matter if they were faked or not, it doesn't really seem to have any direct effect on my life, so I just put the whole idea on a shelf and leave it there. That's where most conspiracy theories pretty much reach a dead end.

I remember hearing about a guy who claimed he found a way to get 200-300 mpg, but he didn't want to reveal his secret or sell his design because he was afraid the oil companies would kill him.