Why do people feel the need to believe in conspiracies?

[LordFisheh]

Ever heard of the Reichstag fire?

IT'S A CONSPIRACY LOLOL IDIOTS WITH THEIR TINFOIL HATS...

...that actually happened.

While it's true that many conspiracy theories are just fantasies to make the world a little more exciting and for people to confer the 'only one who knows the truth' role on themselves, it's not always the case. Surely it's far more dangerous when people live an equally invented existence where nothing is wrong, everyone has good intentions, everything is above board, and anyone claiming otherwise is a LOL CONSPIRACY THEORIST TINFOIL HAT LOLOL.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

whats Occam's razor?

[fnord] lex parsimoniae: "The simplest answer is usually the correct one" [/fnord]

Attributed to Father William of Ockham in the 14th century.

 

[LordFisheh]

whats Occam's razor?

[fnord]lex parsimoniae: "The simplest answer is usually the more correct one"[/fnord]

except that Occam's razor doesn't work quite like that. It's kind of undefined but it doesn't just outright state that simple = true, complex = false. More that if there are two competing theories that are in other way equal, the simpler one should be trusted. It's not a logical fact; as wiki puts it

However, on many occasions Occam's razor has stifled or delayed scientific progress.[14] For example, appeals to simplicity were used to deny the phenomena of meteorites, ball lightning, continental drift, and reverse transcriptase. It originally rejected DNA as the carrier of genetic information in favor of proteins, since proteins provided the simpler explanation.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

except that Occam's razor doesn't work quite like that.

Look closer, I already added in the "usually".

 

[TriggerOnly]

I think its better to ask why then just say "well the government said that's not what happen", But hey when has the government ever lie.

noble intent, but the thing is arguing with conspiracy theorist is like debating with a brick wall. These people tend to be obsessed with their belief, dedicating their entire lives to it even. So they sure as hell aren't going to change their belief easily. And these people use very twisted logic, that is just confusing and fallacy-filled enough so that someone truly nieve, without paying close attention, might even think these people were telling the truth. This twisted logic of theirs is enough so that they feel like what they believe makes logical sense, despite anything you may tell them...

Why are you trying "change their belief" ?

So many people ( I would say these days, but I think it was always the case) cant just have healthy discussion about any topic. We always feel the need to be right or disprove some one else. I say hear what they have to say if you feel you want to add something, do so in a respectful way. If you disagree that's OK, you just don't see it the same way.


I think you will find its not the conspiracy type that are close minded, its just the person is close minded. probably because they think your not seeing there point, and that is irony.

I think you get what I mean though.

 

[Retronana]

Can't you all see? These conspiracy theories are... CONSPIRACIES THEMSELVES

:0

Really people like to think everything happens for a reason and tragedies like 9/11 can't be put down to no name amateur terrorists, it's sort of similar to religion.

 

[Custard_Angel]

SNIP

I recently re-watched "The Dark Knight (Batman, Joker, all that stuff), and you just reminded me of what the Joker said about things going according to plan.

OT: Clearly you are part of a government conspiracy to control the masses to not believe conspiracy theories, but lucky for me, I'm wearing my anti-anti-conspiracy hat ... which may or may not be made out of tin foil (but you'll never know if it is or not!).

Hmm... The Joker did indeed make a similar statement. I'm almost certain he wasn't talking about conspiracy theories though.

As for your fancy hat, well... that just shows a sad truth of the entire world. If you look for conspiracies, you'll find them. No matter how bizarre or arbitrary your presumptions are, you can always find evidence because the world isn't a nice neatly arranged place.

In the myriad of chaotic details around the world its a certainty that sometimes things will fall into a pattern.

 

[AlkalineGamer]

I think it's just that people want to feel part of something bigger.
Possibly a better side of human nature, to want to be more than just animals, so they start believing in whacky stories, they want there to be something more, we all do, this world is a little shit who wouldn't want to trancsend it into something more.

And of course there is speculation from curiosity. when we don't KNOW we THINK, when we think we IMAGINE, and that's when shit gets silly.

Also sometimes conspiracy theories are proven as true, but not the really important ones, even if they where true do you think the guys hiding it would just let it be revealed? no that's when people disapear.

Just to note, i don't believe most of what most conspiracy theories say, but there are often hints of truth in the most rediculous stories.

 

[katsumoto03]

Conspiracy theories are for the most part, to politics as religion is to science.

 

[withoutnumbers]

I think it's just a part of human's natural inclination to be curious. We're curious, so we see things unexplanable and start asking questions. We crave attention, appreciation, acknowledgement, and approval from our peers; so we offer explanations for these questions so as to appear intelligent. We like being a part of groups, being accepted; so conspiracy theorists stick together. In the end, I think, it comes down to one's self more than the actual "conspiracy" at hand. We all like to participate in actions or thoughts that seem greater than ourselves. It's a wondeful part of being human.

That being said, I have a few conspiracy theories myself, so I'm not in any way trying to say it's "above" me. I think it can be normal and healthy to ask questions about things in our world and society unexplained. If, however, you can't function or contribute to society because you're so wrapped up in theories that haven't been proven, then you might be living a life more of dillusion and question than reality and you should seek help.

However, when we stop asking questions, coming up with crazy theories, and simply taking anything and everything the media and the government gives us without a second thought... that's when we should be worried.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Ever heard of the Reichstag fire?

IT'S A CONSPIRACY LOLOL IDIOTS WITH THEIR TINFOIL HATS...

...that actually happened.

While it's true that many conspiracy theories are just fantasies to make the world a little more exciting and for people to confer the 'only one who knows the truth' role on themselves, it's not always the case. Surely it's far more dangerous when people live an equally invented existence where nothing is wrong, everyone has good intentions, everything is above board, and anyone claiming otherwise is a LOL CONSPIRACY THEORIST TINFOIL HAT LOLOL.

A conspiracy theory has to be at least a little batshit insane, though, otherwise it's just a theory about a conspiracy.

...

On a related note, apparently the KGB would create or encourage certain conspiracy theories, because they'd undermine their enemies. Which is a bit meta, though the KGB was set up for that sort of thing.

 

[Homo Carnivorous]

Conspiracy theories are for the most part, to politics as religion is to science.

equally obnoxious and self confident?

 

[katsumoto03]

Conspiracy theories are for the most part, to politics as religion is to science.

equally obnoxious and self confident?

I was thinking along the lines of: Throwing around ridiculous theories to explain the unknown and then act like it's fact and totally forget that it's a theory.

 

[Homo Carnivorous]

Conspiracy theories are for the most part, to politics as religion is to science.

equally obnoxious and self confident?

I was thinking along the lines of: Throwing around ridiculous theories to explain the unknown and then act like it's fact and totally forget that it's a theory.

Thats the same lines I was thinking along ..tho, science have a better trackrecord than both religion and conspiracy theorists. They also get it absolutely right at times. I am waiting (without holding my breath) for CT and R to catch up. XD

 

[Vern5]

Topics like Illuminati, New World Order, UFO cover-ups, etc are all extremely popular on most forums I go on. I'm amazed how many people truly buy into these things. Most real conspiracies involve money, drugs, murdering a spouse, or other pedestrian criminal activity. The biggest revealed conspiracies involving the government acting "evil" were things like the Pentagon Papers, covering up the My Lai massacre, and overthrows of foreign leaders orchestrated by the CIA. Even then, these are just PR embarrassments and realpolitik, there are no mystical or supernatural forces at play.

Maybe I'm wrong about this all, but I view the governments of the world as the Vogons: always assume apathy and inertia before malevolence.

Governments are just collections of people. They have wants and needs just like the rest of us. The only difference between them and us is that they are in a precarious position where they can take whatever they want of the world but are under constant scrutiny.

I do believe that 90% of conspiracies have their motivations in money. War-profiteering is probably the best example of this. If you're fighting an enemy then you can balance an economy upon the back of wartime industry, at first anyway. The other 10% is severe extremism and idiocy, the kind that leads people to do stupid shit and are so passionate about it that other people get caught up in the fervor.

With all this talk of conspiracies on this thread, I have to ask: Does anyone remember the Litvenenko report or why he was targeted for assassination?

 

[Antari]

Not all theories are conspiracies, and not all conspiracy theories are theories. Never just take someone's word for it. If you want to know, there's only one way to do it. Find out for yourself.

 

[Homo Carnivorous]

Does anyone remember the Litvenenko report or why he was targeted for assassination?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvinenko
(Its wikipedia, treat it like it is)

 

[ZeroMachine]

I don't feel the need to. I just think they can be really fun. When I write a story, I try to include one.

 

[DRSH1989]

the elephant people know all!