{"id":11914,"date":"2022-07-14T12:57:05","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T02:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/?p=11914"},"modified":"2022-07-15T21:54:11","modified_gmt":"2022-07-15T11:54:11","slug":"why-conspiracy-theories-are-exciting-and-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/2022\/07\/14\/why-conspiracy-theories-are-exciting-and-dangerous\/","title":{"rendered":"Why conspiracy theories are exciting \u2013 and dangerous"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conspiracy theories have been around for centuries, from <\/span>witch trials<\/span><\/a> and antisemitic campaigns to <\/span>beliefs that Freemasons were trying to topple European monarchies<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the mid-20th century, historian <\/span>Richard Hofstadter<\/span><\/a> described a \u2018<\/span>paranoid style<\/span><\/a>\u2019 that he observed in right-wing U.S. politics and culture: a blend of \u201cheated exaggeration, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial fantasy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the \u2018golden age\u2019 of conspiracy theories, it seems, is now. On June 24, 2022, the unknown leader of the QAnon conspiracy theory <\/span>posted online<\/span><\/a> for the first time in over a year.<\/span><\/p>\n

QAnon\u2019s enthusiasts tend to be ardent supporters of <\/span>Donald Trump<\/span><\/a>, who made conspiracy theories <\/span>a signature feature of his political brand<\/span><\/a>, from Pizzagate and QAnon to \u2018Stop the Steal\u2019 and <\/span>the racist \u2018birther\u2019 movement<\/span><\/a>. Key themes in conspiracy theories \u2013 like a sinister network of \u2018pedophiles\u2019 and \u2018groomers\u2019, shadowy \u2018bankers\u2019 and \u2018globalists\u2019 \u2013 have <\/span>moved into the mainstream<\/span><\/a> of right-wing talking points.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much of the commentary on conspiracy theories presumes that followers simply have bad information, <\/span>or not enough<\/span><\/a>, and that they can be helped along with a better diet of facts.<\/span><\/p>\n

But anyone who talks to conspiracy theorists knows that they\u2019re never short on details, or at least \u2018<\/span>alternative facts<\/span><\/a>\u2019. They have plenty of information, but they insist that it be interpreted in a particular way \u2013 the way that feels most exciting.<\/span><\/p>\n

My research<\/span><\/a> focuses on how emotion <\/span>drives human experience<\/span><\/a>, including strong beliefs. In <\/span>my latest book<\/span><\/a>, I argue that confronting conspiracy theories requires understanding the feelings that make them so appealing \u2013 and the way those feelings shape what seems reasonable to devotees.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we want to understand why people believe what they believe, we need to look not just at the content of their thoughts, but how that information feels to them. Just as <\/span>The X-Files<\/span><\/i> predicted, conspiracy theories\u2019 acolytes \u201cwant to believe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking and feeling<\/b><\/h3>\n

Over 100 years ago, the American psychologist <\/span>William James<\/span><\/a> noted<\/span><\/a>: \u201cThe transition from a state of perplexity to one of resolve is full of lively pleasure and relief.\u201d In other words, confusion doesn\u2019t feel good, but certainty certainly does.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was deeply interested in an issue that is urgent today: how information feels, and why thinking about the world in a particular way might be <\/span>exciting or exhilarating<\/span><\/a> \u2013 so much so that it becomes <\/span>difficult to see the world in any other way<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

James called this the \u2018<\/span>sentiment of rationality<\/span><\/a>\u2019: the feelings that go along with thinking. People often talk about thinking and feeling as though they\u2019re separate, but James realised that they\u2019re inextricably related.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, he believed that the best science was driven forward by the excitement of discovery \u2013 which he said was \u2018<\/span>caviar<\/span><\/a>\u2019 for scientists \u2013 but also anxiety about getting things wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

The allure of the 2%<\/b><\/h3>\n

So how does conspiracy theory feel? First of all, it lets you feel like you\u2019re smarter than everyone. Political scientist <\/span>Michael Barkun<\/span><\/a> points out that conspiracy theory devotees love what he calls \u2018<\/span>stigmatised knowledge<\/span><\/a>\u2019, sources that are obscure or even looked down upon.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, the more obscure the source is, the more true believers want to trust it. This is the stock in trade of popular podcast <\/span>The Joe Rogan Experience<\/span><\/a> \u2013 \u2018scientists\u2019 who present themselves as the lone voice in the wilderness and are somehow seen as more credible because they\u2019ve been repudiated by their colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ninety-eight percent of scientists may agree on something, but the conspiracy mindset imagines the other 2 per cent are really on to something. This allows conspiracists to see themselves as \u2018<\/span>critical thinkers<\/span><\/a>\u2019 who have separated themselves from the pack, rather than outliers who have fallen for a snake oil pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most exciting parts of a conspiracy theory is that it makes everything make sense. We all know the pleasure of solving a puzzle: the \u2018click\u2019 of satisfaction when you complete a Wordle, crossword or sudoku. But of course, the whole point of games is that they simplify things. Detective shows are the same: All the clues are right there on the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Powerful appeal<\/b><\/h3>\n

But what if the whole world were like that? In essence, that\u2019s the illusion of conspiracy theory. All the answers are there, and everything fits with everything else. The big players are sinister and devious \u2013 but not as smart as you.<\/span><\/p>\n

QAnon works like <\/span>a massive live-action video game<\/span><\/a> in which a showrunner teases viewers with tantalising clues. Followers make every detail into something profoundly significant.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Donald Trump <\/span>announced his COVID-19 diagnosis<\/span><\/a>, for instance, he tweeted, \u201cWe will get through this TOGETHER.\u201d QAnon followers <\/span>saw this as a signal<\/span><\/a> that <\/span>their long-sought endgame<\/span><\/a> \u2013 Hillary Clinton arrested and convicted of unspeakable crimes \u2013 was finally in play. They thought the capitalised word \u2018TOGETHER\u2019 was code for \u2018TO GET HER\u2019, and that Trump was saying that his diagnosis was a feint in order to beat the \u2018deep state\u2019. For devotees, it was a perfectly crafted puzzle with a neatly thrilling solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that conspiracy theory very often <\/span>goes hand in hand<\/span><\/a> with racism \u2013 <\/span>anti-Black racism<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>anti-immigrant racism<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>antisemitism<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Islamophobia<\/span><\/a>. People who craft conspiracies \u2013 or are willing to exploit them \u2013 know how <\/span>emotionally powerful<\/span><\/a> these racist beliefs are.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also key to avoid saying that conspiracy theories are \u2018simply\u2019 irrational or emotional. What James realised is that all thinking is related to feeling \u2013 whether we\u2019re learning about the world in useful ways or whether we\u2019re being led astray by our own biases. As cultural theorist <\/span>Lauren Berlant<\/span><\/a> wrote in 2016<\/span><\/a>, \u201cAll the messages are emotional,\u201d no matter which political party they come from.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conspiracy theories encourage their followers to see themselves as the only ones with their eyes open, and everyone else as \u2018sheeple\u2019. But paradoxically, this fantasy leads to self-delusion \u2013 and helping followers recognise that can be a first step.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unraveling their beliefs requires the patient work of persuading devotees that the world is just a more boring, more random, less interesting place than one might have hoped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of why conspiracy theories have such a strong hold is that they have flashes of truth. There really are elites who hold themselves above the law; there really is exploitation, violence and inequality. But the best way to unmask abuses of power isn\u2019t to take shortcuts \u2013 a critical point in <\/span>Conspiracy Theory Handbook<\/span><\/i><\/a>, a guide to combating them that was written by <\/span>experts on climate change denial<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

To make progress, we have to patiently prove what\u2019s happening \u2013 to research, learn and find the most plausible interpretation of the evidence, not the one that\u2019s most fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was originally published in <\/i><\/b>The Conversation<\/b><\/a>. It is republished under Creative Commons.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Photo by <\/i><\/b>Brett Davis on Flickr<\/i><\/b><\/a> (CC)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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