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Originally Posted by Matthew Shea  I'm hoping you all can give me a little insight on the topic of conspiracy theories. I've never been one to believe in them personally, seeing them as a sort of mental trap for the unwary, but a friend of mine sent me a link to a video last week describing a conspiracy to control the world with RFID implants in every man, woman and child. This friend of mine is a very intelligent person, so I'm having trouble understanding why an intelligent person would buy into such things. I'm not looking for advice on dealing with my friend, but a little insight in general about why people buy into conspiracy theories would be welcome. |
Matthew, I'm sure you'll find a more authoritative source on "conspiracy theories" than me (and the theory I'm about to offer), but I will offer you my two cents, free of charge.
I think conspiracy theories are tempting for a couple of reasons:
1) Pattern logic. Human beings have a tendency (a strong desire, even) to form patterns, to connect dots, to bind facts and events together. The idea that seemingly connected events may have been random is troubling to the human mind.
2) Strangely, we find it more comforting to believe that big governments and corporations are scheming against us than to accept the possibility that they have very little, if any, control over a situation.
Make no mistake: real conspiracies have existed since the dawn of time. But we humans *like* conspiracy theories far too much, methinks.