Conspiracy theorists lack critical thinking skills: New study

[CousinIT]

https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/2021/07/25/conspiracy-theorists-lack-critical-thinking/

The more people believe in conspiracy theories, the worse they perform on critical thinking tests, a new study has confirmed.

. . .

‘They’re out to get us’ – or so the theory goes
Conspiracy theories are nothing new, but they have greater reach and intensity with the advent of social media.

As explained by Anthony Lantian, an associate professor of psychology at the Paris Nanterre University and a co-author of the new study: “Conspiracy theories refer to attempts to explain the ultimate cause of an important event (social, political, climatic, etc.) by accusing a hidden coalition of perceived malicious and powerful people or organisations of having secretly planned and implemented these events.”

For example, there’s a persistent conspiracy theory that shady figures in the US government were complicit in events of 9/11 – where airliners were flown into the World Trade Centre towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania – and the attacks weren’t simply the work of Islamic terrorists.

The QAnon conspiracy theory of a global Satanic network of pedophiles run by political elites is so widespread and powerful that it led to the election of a true believer, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, to Congress.

[markie]

1. no surprise...

long been saying... lack of critical thinking skills and empathy are destroying us

[Faux pas]

2. It's

all connected to the dumbing down of education. Keep them stoopid and afraid and they'll believe ANYTHING.

[greenjar_01]

3. I think the way we have taught "critical thinking" in the US

(i.e., "Believe nothing! Critique everything!" ) actually contributes to our current conspiracy culture.

[The Magistrate]

4. A Good Point, That, Sir

[Sympthsical]

11. I'd amend it to, "Believe nothing, critique everything that doesn't fit what you already believe."

At least, that's what it commonly morphs into.

I'm a big believer in "Half or more of what the media says is narrative bullshit." But instead of thinking I'm being lied to, I think I'm being either spun to based on reporting biases, or the media are just being lazy and not really checking anything.

So I just go and try to figure out if I can find the provenance of something, if I can see what the ground level facts are of the narrative being presented.

I also ask myself, "Is this plausible, or do I simply want it to be plausible?" It helps clock the bullshit. I see so many untrue things every day.

My biggest example this week from our side is that whipping story at the border. It is still going. People are still making the claims. When I read the first article about it, I immediately went to the source. I looked at where the pictures came from. I looked at the video accompanying it, which was from a different angle and showed the photos' perspective were not giving an accurate portrait.

Then the photographer came out and was like, "Nothing like that happened here."

https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/photographer-behind-controversial-photos-speaks-exclusively-to-ktsm/

People are still running with it though. They want it to be true for narrative purposes.

[LanternWaste]

16. What method of education are you rereferring to?

Or is yours just anecdotal and without evidence? (which, given the subject of the thread, would be self-inflicted irony, no?)

[Klaralven]

5. Conspiracy theories are made plausible by knowledge of actual shady shit

People with normal amounts of friends and relatives are only 2 or 3 degrees away from people with first-hand knowledge of bad stuff done by governments or powerful private organizations.

Lots of Qanons appear to have had experience in the military, an organization known for secret deeds ranging from the slightly scummy to the outrageously dastardly.

[roamer65]

6. Proverbs 27:12

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”

Vaccines are the refuge for the prudent.

[cadoman]

7. it astonishes me that people can't just listen to NPR every morning and leave it at that

The best journalists in the world summarizing current events for you and serving it up on a server platter, for free. I guess for some that's just too easy?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6282974/

I do wonder how they define conspiracy theory though, because what is a conspiracy in one region or demographic is fact in another. Don't have access to it but they reference this Bale paper:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00313220601118751

[Wounded Bear]

8. Gee, ya think?

[UpInArms]

9. They seem to be zombie cult members

[soryang]

10. conspiracies are nothing more than agreements to pursue immoral or illegal goals

they are commonplace stuff.

[Silent3]

13. Yes, the topic here isn't basic. mundane conspiracies, but Grand Conspiracies

The crap that QAnon believes in, 9/11 "truthers", Area 51 fanatics, etc, aren't simple matters of two or more people colluding to perform an illegal act.

[soryang]

19. You mean apart from coups, regime change plots, and presenting

...a false casus belli for war, and the like?

[Silent3]

20. The real conspiracies either only require small numbers of people to be involved...

...or they pretty much operate right out in the open, depending on propaganda or a public that simply isn't paying enough attention.

The crazy ones are the conspiracies that would require vast networks of people keeping very-hard-to-keep secrets, somehow or another intimidating or buying off countless numbers of people. The crazy conspiracy theories often depend on vague motives -- that "THEY" want to control us for the sake of controlling us, kill us for the sake of killing us, will somehow profit from their Evil Plan in ways the conspiracy-believer feels no need to work out or try to make sense of.

Nutty conspiracies are often stupidly elaborate, when people who would be powerful enough to pull off an imagined conspiracy could much more reliably achieve their supposed goals using simple, direct, and reliable means.

[hunter]

12. Critical thinking could be taught in schools, starting in kindergarten...

... but that would further upset parents who have anti-intellectual religious beliefs.

Fortunately many young people are abandoning these religions.

Unfortunately many people who have abandoned these religions still carry the anti-intellectual baggage that was impressed upon them in their youth.

[Silent3]

14. Many who abandon organized religion still go for unorganized superstitious mysticism

As an atheist I'd be much happier if the turn away from organized religion we're seeing was based on logic and reason and science, but I think it's largely due to an emotional reaction to the nastiness of many religious zealots instead. I guess it's an improvement, but not as much as I'd hope for.

[Midnight Writer]

15. Thank God! Here I have been afraid that Republicans are trying to destroy our democracy.

I am so relieved that I am just experiencing a lapse in critical thinking skills.

[hunter]

17. Republicans take advantage of the people who lack critical thinking skills.

Who'd have thought skeptical down to earth country folk would ever vote for a New York City grifter like Donald Trump?

I think the Republican Party actually wants to destroy public education because they know that broadly educated people with critical thinking skills are more likely to reject them.

[StarfishSaver]

21. Adherence to conspiracy theories is not limited to Republicans

[sakabatou]

18. This just in, water is wet

[SidDithers]

22. I love that they name MTG in the article...

Sid