Conspiracy theorists have an à la carte attitude to data and trust, so what can scientists do about it?
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) in The X-Files is fond of joining seemingly unrelated dots to create a conspiracy theory – but in reality, the picture is more nuanced.
Conspiracy theorists are commonly seen as fundamentally irrational, with an all-encompassing obsession. But new research suggests they may have quite different motivations, beliefs and attitudes.
Some journalists have claimed that ‘thousands’ of documents which have gone missing at the National Archives are proof of ‘history theft’. It’s probably just old-fashioned incompetence.
Dealing with a co-worker or manager who says demonstrably false things can be a challenge, particularly at holiday office parties. Here’s a guide to handle a colleague in denial.
In the minds of many, the assassination remains a tragedy cloaked in mystery. How does this lack of closure – and the general distrust it fomented – resonate in American culture and politics today?
Will the files show who was really behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy?
Rational arguments and myth busting often won’t help you change the mind of a conspiracy theorist. But there are other ways.
Edward Jenner, who pioneered vaccination, and two colleagues (right) seeing off three anti-vaccination opponents, with the dead lying at their feet (1808).
I Cruikshank/Wellcome Images/Wikimedia Commons
Some people have objected to childhood vaccination since it was introduced in the late 1700s. And their reasons sound remarkably familiar to those of anti-vaxxers today.
Erdogan and Trump getting theoretical.
EPA/REYNOLDS
Peter Meylakhs, Russian National Research University The Higher School of Economics ; Yadviga Sinyavskaya, Russian National Research University The Higher School of Economics et Yuri Rykov, Russian National Research University The Higher School of Economics
In Russia, social networks have given a new life to the conspiracy theory that HIV-AIDS is a global hoax.
Gurneys to remove bodies from the Heaven’s Gate cult house in San Diego, California, March 27, 1997.
AP Photo
Twenty years ago, the paranoia that consumed cults like Heaven’s Gate existed on the margins of American society. Now it’s moved toward the center of the nation’s political life.
This man needs to trust you before listening to your public health message. No wonder bombarding him with facts doesn’t always work.
from www.shutterstock.com
Reassuring people “not to worry” about public health issues like vaccination or fluoridated water doesn’t work. Nor does telling people “don’t panic”. So, what does?
Dramatic. But also fictitious, like The Sun’s article.
Shutterstock
The reporting of crackpot theories as news by mainstream news outlets only damages the credibility of the media and science, and undermines public trust in both.
Unrestricted access to information is vital to a vibrant democracy.But if this information is inaccurate, biased or falsified, the fundamental freedom of informed choice is denied.
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