The first details the typical thinking patterns of conspiracy believers. The study asserts that "... each of [the believer's] convictions about secret plots serves as evidence for other conspiracy beliefs, bypassing any need for confirming evidence." These beliefs critically depend on "selective skepticism": conspiracy believers don't trust information from the government (or other suspect sources), but interestingly, they will accept any source that supports their existing views. Conspiracy believers also frequently interact with like-minded people, suggesting that “conspiracy thinkers constitute a community of believers.”
These folks typically believe that they are uniquely able to find “the truth,” and convey it to others in the hope of impacting the larger community. They are also more likely than usual to jump to conclusions based on limited evidence. “It seems likely that conspiratorial beliefs serve a similar psychological function to superstitious, paranormal and, more controversially, religious beliefs, as they help some people to gain a sense of control over [the] unpredictable."
The fact is that we become significantly and emotionally attached to our beliefs: our very sense of self and ground for morality is entwined with them, and we have the ability to generate elaborate rationalizations for them, easily appealing to unjustified evidence.
I believe a relevant question for us to examine is to what extent we exclude ourselves and our own beliefs from these conclusions. It seems to me that religious beliefs could easily be inserted into this discussion -- in fact, the writers of these studies assume that relevance. Are those of us with spiritual convictions really immune to the trap of believing what compels us from fear of the larger unpredictable world? Are we willing to objectively examine what we hold true? I'm increasingly convinced that this is exactly what is required for us to move forward as a local and global community, and no small number are engaged in precisely that.
These folks typically believe that they are uniquely able to find “the truth,” and convey it to others in the hope of impacting the larger community. They are also more likely than usual to jump to conclusions based on limited evidence. “It seems likely that conspiratorial beliefs serve a similar psychological function to superstitious, paranormal and, more controversially, religious beliefs, as they help some people to gain a sense of control over [the] unpredictable."
The second discusses the ways that we maintain false beliefs. The researchers discovered very strong support for the concept of "motivated reasoning," a now-familiar idea in which people unconsciously seek out information that confirms what they already think, instead of rationally examining evidence that confirms or disproves a particular belief. The study concludes that "... for the most part people completely ignore contrary information."
The fact is that we become significantly and emotionally attached to our beliefs: our very sense of self and ground for morality is entwined with them, and we have the ability to generate elaborate rationalizations for them, easily appealing to unjustified evidence.
I believe a relevant question for us to examine is to what extent we exclude ourselves and our own beliefs from these conclusions. It seems to me that religious beliefs could easily be inserted into this discussion -- in fact, the writers of these studies assume that relevance. Are those of us with spiritual convictions really immune to the trap of believing what compels us from fear of the larger unpredictable world? Are we willing to objectively examine what we hold true? I'm increasingly convinced that this is exactly what is required for us to move forward as a local and global community, and no small number are engaged in precisely that.
