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SUMMARY:Beyond crazy: Rationality\, irrationality\, and conspiracy theory 
 - Professor Robbie Sutton\, University of Kent
DTSTART:20180515T120000Z
DTEND:20180515T130000Z
UID:TALK73249@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr. Juliet Foster
DESCRIPTION:Conspiracy theories blame the covert actions of malign forces 
 for phenomena ranging from natural disasters\, celebrity deaths\, and scie
 ntific findings. They are arguably easier to transmit\, more ubiquitous\, 
 and more influential\, than ever before\, and are a vector for modern ills
  including the atrophy of liberal democracy and the rejection of science. 
 Exposure to conspiracy theories influences people without their awareness\
 , meaning that even those who feel immune from their influence may be affe
 cted. By and large\, scholarly accounts of beliefs in conspiracy theories 
 cast them as irrational\, and in this talk I will present data consistent 
 with this view. For example\, they are associated with magical and anthrop
 omorphic thinking\, reliance on faulty heuristics such as projection (“I
  would do it\, therefore they did it”)\, and the perception that spuriou
 s correlations (e.g.\, between chocolate consumption and Nobel prizes) are
  causal. I will also present data consistent with a “conspiracy mentalit
 y” hypothesis in which people who believe one conspiracy theory tend to 
 believe others\, even when they are mutually incompatible (e.g.\, Princess
  Diana was murdered and is still alive). However\, I will also present new
 er results that tend to defy this rather straightforward and derogatory th
 eoretical perspective\, and will argue for a more nuanced theoretical and 
 normative characterization. This characterization should be able to cope n
 ot only with the normative disadvantages of conspiracy theories\, but the 
 reality that interest groups do not only conspire but also deliberately pr
 opagate conspiracy theories as part and parcel of their machinations.\n
LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of Psychology\, Downing
  Site
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