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Deconstructing "conspiracy"
This is not a thread about any conspiracy theory in particular. Rather, I'm interested in knowing what people think about conspiracies in general.
Why are they so popular? What is it about the human psyche that makes people come up with conspiracy theories? What makes us ignore a simple explanation in favor of a more complicated and convoluted one? Why do you think people will persist in believing conspiracy theories in the face of sometimes overwhelming counter-evidence?
I would hope we could avoid useless toss-off answers like, "people are dumb". I'm really interested in the human fascination with conspiracies.
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Please, forgive me, but was this topic prompted by a PoliSci101 class? You might as well ask what it is about a magic act that compels the audience to reject the simple/obvious explanation ("It's
magic!"), in favor of the more complex/"convoluted" one. Are you aware that most conmen are never prosecuted, because their crimes are deemed "too complex and convoluted for the average juror to understand"? The simplest explanation is not always the truth, and the noblest motive is almost always a lie.