Aug 13, 2011 11:20
I finally figured out why conspiracy theorists weave their theories. They feel they don't have control over certain things in their lives, especially survival and how the world is going. So they spin conspiracy theories to get that feeling of control. It gives them a sense of empowerment. Never mind that such theories don't explain anything -- you can "prove" anything if you ignore enough data -- and don't help them to learn anything that could give them more control over their world: it's feeling powerful that counts, apparently.
Sometimes people need crutches. But a broken reed isn't the most useful of crutches. That's what conspiracy theories, popular versions, really are: broken reeds to weak to put all the weight of the world on.
conspiracy theories,
stupid human tricks