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I have no doubt that their theory that people have a
Posted on: October 23, 2017 at 12:04:49 CT
JeffB MU
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tendency to look for potential dangers to the point that they can see dangers (& in this case conspiracies) where none exist.
But I think anyone positing that to mean that all people who expound upon a conspiracy theory are doing so because of that phenomenon are committing a logical fallacy.
That phenomenon coexists with the one noted in the link that 90Tiger linked to, namely that people also have a tendency to ignore some facts that make them uncomfortable, even if those facts point to the possibility of danger, or in this case a conspiracy theory: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2525602/Burying-head-sand-Youre-feeling-guilty.html
The bottom line is that it would be foolish for someone walking through the desert to ignore an image of an oasis he sees not far away, if going there might save his life and the lives of those with him, even if it is possible that the image is a mirage. The only prudent thing to do in such a situation is to take the time and effort to look into it further to see whether or not what he sees is in fact real. To do otherwise would be idiotic in the extreme.
Unfortunately, too many people take the easy way out and decide either that all conspiracy theories are bogus, or all or nearly all of them are true... or pick and choose based mostly upon emotion. Again, the prudent thing to do would be to take a little time to evaluate them based upon a variety of factors to determine at least whether or not they might at least merit a bit more evaluation.
Taking the blanket statement approach, or the knee jerk reaction approach is not a smart move in my opinion. History has shown that there are indeed conspiracies in abundance, some of which would be virtually unbelievable as fiction, but which are historical facts. Simple, easy solutions are appealing, but not the intelligent way to go.
But I think anyone positing that to mean that all people who expound upon a conspiracy theory are doing so because of that phenomenon are committing a logical fallacy.
That phenomenon coexists with the one noted in the link that 90Tiger linked to, namely that people also have a tendency to ignore some facts that make them uncomfortable, even if those facts point to the possibility of danger, or in this case a conspiracy theory: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2525602/Burying-head-sand-Youre-feeling-guilty.html
The bottom line is that it would be foolish for someone walking through the desert to ignore an image of an oasis he sees not far away, if going there might save his life and the lives of those with him, even if it is possible that the image is a mirage. The only prudent thing to do in such a situation is to take the time and effort to look into it further to see whether or not what he sees is in fact real. To do otherwise would be idiotic in the extreme.
Unfortunately, too many people take the easy way out and decide either that all conspiracy theories are bogus, or all or nearly all of them are true... or pick and choose based mostly upon emotion. Again, the prudent thing to do would be to take a little time to evaluate them based upon a variety of factors to determine at least whether or not they might at least merit a bit more evaluation.
Taking the blanket statement approach, or the knee jerk reaction approach is not a smart move in my opinion. History has shown that there are indeed conspiracies in abundance, some of which would be virtually unbelievable as fiction, but which are historical facts. Simple, easy solutions are appealing, but not the intelligent way to go.
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I have no doubt that their theory that people have a - JeffB MU - 10/23 12:04:49