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Product Identifiers

PublisherJohns Hopkins University Press

ISBN-101421444453

ISBN-139781421444451

eBay Product ID (ePID)16057254697

Product Key Features

Book TitleConspiracy : Why the RATIONAL Believe the Irrational

Number of Pages384 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicConspiracy Theories, Sociology / General, American Government / National

Publication Year2022

IllustratorYes

GenrePolitical Science, Social Science

AuthorMichael Shermer

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.2 in

Item Weight24.9 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2021-053808

ReviewsA fascinating tour of oddball wrongheadedness, with gentle but firm prescriptions for combatting it.

Dewey Edition23

Dewey Decimal001.98

Table Of ContentApologia Prologue. The Conspiracy Effect: Why Smart People Believe Blatantly Wrong Things for Apparently Rational Reasons Part I. Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories Chapter 1. Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories: The Difference in Thinking and the Difference It Makes Chapter 2. A Brief History of Conspiracy Theories and Conspiracists: Toward a Science of Conspiracism Chapter 3. Proxy and Tribal Conspiracism: How Conspiratorial Beliefs Are Reinforced as Truths Chapter 4. Constructive Conspiracism: Paranoia, Pessimism, and the Evolutionary Origins of Conspiracy Cognition Chapter 5. A Case Study in Conspiracism: The Sovereign Citizens Conspiracy Theory Part II. How to Determine Which Conspiracy Theories Are Real Chapter 6. The Conspiracy Detection Kit: How to Tell If a Conspiracy Theory Is True or False Chapter 7. Truthers and Birthers: The 9/11 and Obama Conspiracy Theories Chapter 8. JFK Blown Away: The Mother of All Conspiracy Theories Chapter 9. Real Conspiracies: What If They Really Are Out to Get You? Chapter 10. The Deadliest Conspiracy in History: The Trigger of World War I and How Conspiracies Really Work Chapter 11. Real and Imagined Enemies: Conspiracies in Reality and in Our Imaginations Part III. Talking to Conspiracists and Rebuilding Trust in Truth Chapter 12. How to Talk to Conspiracy Theorists: Engaging with People with Whom We Disagree Chapter 13. How to Rebuild Trust in Truth: Reason, Rationality, and Empiricism in Reality-Based Communities Coda. What People Believe About Conspiracy Theories and Why: Results of the Skeptic Research Center Survey Acknowledgments Notes Index

SynopsisBest-selling author Michael Shermer presents an overarching theory of conspiracy theories-who believes them and why, which ones are real, and what we should do about them. Nothing happens by accident, everything is connected, and there are no coincidences: that is the essence of conspiratorial thinking. Long a fringe part of the American political landscape, conspiracy theories are now mainstream: 147 members of Congress voted in favor of objections to the 2020 presidential election based on an unproven theory about a rigged electoral process promoted by the mysterious group QAnon. But this is only the latest example in a long history of ideas that include the satanic panics of the 1980s, the New World Order and Vatican conspiracy theories, fears about fluoridated water, speculations about President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and the notions that the Sandy Hook massacre was a false flag operation and 9/11 was an inside job. In Conspiracy, Michael Shermer presents an overarching review of conspiracy theories-who believes them and why, which ones are real, and what we should do about them. Trust in conspiracy theories, he writes, cuts across gender, age, race, income, education level, occupational status-and even political affiliation. One reason that people believe these conspiracies, Shermer argues, is that enough of them are real that we should be constructively conspiratorial: elections have been rigged (LBJ's 1948 Senate race); medical professionals have intentionally harmed patients in their care (Tuskegee); your government does lie to you (Watergate, Iran-Contra, and Afghanistan); and, tragically, some adults do conspire to sexually abuse children. But Shermer reveals that other factors are also in play: anxiety and a sense of loss of control play a role in conspiratorial cognition patterns, as do certain personality traits. This engaging book will be an important read for anyone concerned about the future direction of American politics, as well as anyone who's watched friends or family fall into patterns of conspiratorial thinking., "A well-written and essential tool for those navigating today's complicated geopolitical landscape."-- Library Journal Best-selling author Michael Shermer presents an overarching theory of conspiracy theories--who believes them and why, which ones are real, and what we should do about them. Nothing happens by accident, everything is connected, and there are no coincidences: that is the essence of conspiratorial thinking. Long a fringe part of the American political landscape, conspiracy theories are now mainstream: 147 members of Congress voted in favor of objections to the 2020 presidential election based on an unproven theory about a rigged electoral process promoted by the mysterious group QAnon. But this is only the latest example in a long history of ideas that include the satanic panics of the 1980s, the New World Order and Vatican conspiracy theories, fears about fluoridated water, speculations about President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and the notions that the Sandy Hook massacre was a false-flag operation and 9/11 was an inside job. In Conspiracy , Michael Shermer presents an overarching review of conspiracy theories--who believes them and why, which ones are real, and what we should do about them. Trust in conspiracy theories, he writes, cuts across gender, age, race, income, education level, occupational status--and even political affiliation. One reason that people believe these conspiracies, Shermer argues, is that enough of them are real that we should be constructively conspiratorial: elections have been rigged (LBJ's 1948 Senate race); medical professionals have intentionally harmed patients in their care (Tuskegee); your government does lie to you (Watergate, Iran-Contra, and Afghanistan); and, tragically, some adults do conspire to sexually abuse children. But Shermer reveals that other factors are also in play: anxiety and a sense of loss of control play a role in conspiratorial cognition patterns, as do certain personality traits. This engaging book will be an important read for anyone concerned about the future direction of American politics, as well as anyone who's watched friends or family fall into patterns of conspiratorial thinking., This engaging book will be an important read for anyone concerned about the future direction of American politics, as well as anyone who's watched friends or family fall into patterns of conspiratorial thinking.

LC Classification NumberHV6275.S54 2022