The Inner Worlds of Conspiracy Believers

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lol, I love how the only people commenting on the article are conspiracy theorists, and I agree with what this article is saying completely. I've had debates with probably around 150 conspiracy theorists to date, and I feel like I could almost write a paper about them myself because they do have definite things in common. One of the biggest things I've found, is that they will often "repeat conclusions" rather than "understand evidence", or truly do a personal investigation of the raw facts being used to support a conspiracy, especially if believing in the conspiracy is a trait of a social group that they subscribe to.
For example, as one of the comments on this article said, "no modern steel framed high rise skyscraper can ever fall straight down at free fall velocity as the result of 'building fires.'" Yet we know of at least 3, the Windsor Tower, Kader Toy Factory, and The McCormick Center. In addition, the steel-framed University of Aberdeen zoology building also collapsed completely (though that one wasn't fire-related).
Often their arguments are based on a lack of personal discovery, and focus heavily instead on believing what others (whom they deeply trust) have told them about the evidence, so long as the input from those people they trust doesn't contradict the beliefs they already hold. Then those who disagree with them are always "sheep" or "part of the conspiracy".
What I've frequently found as well, is that the things they believe, seem to be used to support many other beliefs they already hold to be self-evident truths, such as "the government is controlling everyone/everything". They use this "self-evident truth" because they see it as being integral to so many of their other "truths". In essence, this explanatory framework creates a fragile "house of cards" outlook on the world where, if one card falls, the whole thing could fall (since so many conclusions are inter-dependent). Thus, they tend to easily ignore contradictory evidence because their beliefs are based on the idea that people are constantly trying to "trick them" by feeding them false information.

CB of CA 1:30AM January 16, 2013

As an academic psychologist I'd have to say that these service-intellectuals are full of sh*t and an embarrassment to any critical scientist worldwide!

macmarine of GA 5:07AM October 24, 2012

Breaking News:Psychologists are often delusional. A new, unpublished study reveals that psychologists, particularly those who work for large universities, suffer a higher rate of delusions, personality disorders, and "feelings of omnipotence". The results of the telephone survey of 300 psychologists revealed that they are more likely to follow intellectual fads and trends, particularly if money is involved. They scored lower than average in critical thinking skills and analytical reasoning. Veteran investigator Christopher Bell is not suprised. " They love fascism. It's endemic in their profession, going back to the days of Freud and Jung."

wearelegion of MN 10:03PM September 06, 2012

"The study, still unpublished, shows that conspiracy believers displayed a greater propensity than nonbelievers to jump to conclusions based on limited evidence."
This transparent attempt to turn the tables is both funny and pathetic.
Consider the three WTC towers.
Architects, structural engineers, civil engineers, metallurgists, materials scientists, building contractors, demolitions experts, and firefighters all know perfectly well that no modern steel framed high rise skyscraper can ever fall straight down at free fall velocity as the result of "building fires."
A physical object can fall straight down at free fall velocity only if every last source of resistance is completely and instantaneously moved out of the physical object's downward path of descent.
This cannot happen to a modern steel framed high rise skyscraper as the result of a building fire or even an earthquake. The steel structural members will at most bend and twist out of shape.
The only way steel structural members can be turned into thousands of tiny fragments such that they offer zero resistance, and enable the building to fall straight down at free fall velocity, is through controlled demolition using explosive charges.
The real conspiracy believers are those who ignore science and engineering and instead jump to conclusions based on limited evidence spoon fed to them by government officials and major media spin doctors.

Bevin of CA 2:18AM August 27, 2012

THere is an explanation for the growing percentage of scientists and academics who see merit in acknowledging authority, ideology and belief to the detriment of evidence, and it is even more scary than the threat of insane asylum for people afflicted with intellectual curiosity and a leaning towards deviate democratic practices. The entire formal intellectual class paradigm was put together by the usual suspects in the 1930s, as an extension of eugenics. A brief narrative appears in http://www.oziz4oziz.com/

Tony Ryan of IL 5:38PM August 25, 2012

The official government version of 9/11 is a conspiracy theory. The lead investigators (Kean and Farmer, both Republicans chosen by Bush) have revealed that the government lied to the investigators. "Truthers" are people who believe the investigators' report of government lies and are demanding an independent, objective investigation. So the conspiracy theorists are those who accept the govt story despite the evidence that the govt lied.
Many historians have noted that many (if not most) important historical decisions (regarding war, agreements, etc) are done by a small group of people in secret (ie a conspiracy). JFK made a secret deal not to invade Cuba to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis, etc. So conspiracy is a normal way that significant decisions have been made since Julius Cesar used a false flag operation (the very essence of a conspiracy) to deceive his enemies. Historians of MesoAmerica report that even before this, native Americans used false flag operations, and of course, Cortez used such operations to conquer Mexico.
Those who deny such evidence are the deluded.
Among illustrious leaders who have endorsed conspiracy theories are:
George Washington
Jefferson
Jackson
Wilson
Roosevelt
Churchill (see http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Illuminati/quotes_on_the_new_world_order.htm)
My favorite, because it has come true is this conspiracy theory about banks:
Thomas Jefferson: 1816 “If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered"
According to the Guardian, US "homeowners (a euphemism for having a mortgage) have 700 billion in negative equity. That means that in of the homes with mortgages in the US (50 million), 24% are under water...which means the banks totally own 100% of those 1/4 of mortgaged homes. The 76% which are under mortgage but are not underwater have lost 30-50% of their value...which means American families, most especially those minority families whose total wealth was in their home equities, have lost 4.2 trillion (this includes all homes under mortgage). My home equity, which I built up over 50 years, was 300K in 2006; today it is underwater. I am 71 and am working 45 hours a week to keep my home, which I refinanced to improve in preparation for sale........but the bubble burst and now, the bank owns my home, as with 12 million other American families.
Was this a conspiracy? Are bank operations done by elite groups in secret?
Think of other conspiracy theories supported by the government: Iraq had WMD's (there was NO evidence, but it was decided by the inner Bush team to use that justification for an invasion). And now: Iran is developing nuclear weapons (there is no evidence)....another lie used to justify another war.

dale of CA 12:07PM August 25, 2012

I've never read so much absolute rubbish in all my life. I have a science degree, I have been trained to think critically, and find this article an insult to the intelligence of the average human being.

Anthony of OH 7:27AM August 24, 2012

This article is so fatuous as to warrant canceling your subscription immediately. Please do so and vote with your dollars.

Greg Diablo of WA 10:05PM August 22, 2012

This is definitely state propaganda masquerading as "science".
"The government is using mobile phone technology to track everyone all the time."
Project Echelon anyone?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON
Or for those "academics" who claim wikipedia is not a reliable source, how about NSA's Utah Data Center?
"In secret listening rooms nationwide, NSA software examines every email, phone call, and tweet as they zip by."
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/all/
Slaves claiming to be academics do not even understand the world in which they live and are fomenting mass propaganda as valid "knowledge".

Skeptic 9:17PM August 22, 2012

This is some of the scariest bit of circular logic masquerading as science I have ever heard...it's positively Orwellian, and it's scares the crap out of me. Now here's a bit of paranoia for you... I am now starting to wonder if sharing and or "liking" articles via Facebook, subscribing to various alternative news sites, researching various "conspiracy theories," leaving comments such as this one, will have me and others hauled off in the crazy wagon-- aka "disappeared" and it will all be justified through these types of "scientific" studies. It seems laughable, right, like paranoid crazy talk...except I bet that's what many Germans thought in pre-Nazi Germany....

Gforce23 of AK 1:19PM August 22, 2012