Why Do People Believe Conspiracy Theories? By James Reed
A psychology educator David Hundsness, who made a career in criticizing “conspiracy theorists,” explains that conspiracy theories appeal to segments of the population who believe that they are independent thinkers seeking the truth: “People who believe conspiracy theories believe they are in a special group of independent thinkers who know the truth. They think they have a superior knowledge while the majority of people are just sheep who are foolishly gullible and easily manipulated, and who wouldn't want to feel special. Let's start with an easy example. Imagine someone who wasn't particularly successful in school or their career. So deep down, their ego feels inferior. But if they believe the conspiracy theories, well, now they feel like they're smarter than most others, and a small group of people tell them so.”
Coming from the mainstream, naturally he proclaims that these conspiracy theorists are wrong. Yet, many conspiracy theories in recent times have turned out to be true, while initially rejected, such as the lab leak origin hypothesis of Covid. The idea that groups of powerful people work together, usually in secret, is a much more plausible theory of history, than what Eric butler called the idiot theory of history, that things just happen, with no relevant causes. That is not science at all.
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