Tag Archives: conspiracy-theories

About the Flat-Earth Movement

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Disclaimer: I respect any and all opinions. I don’t judge people based on their scientific or spiritual beliefs. However, I would find it risky to get in the same car with a person that thinks the red light means “go”.

Yes, there are people out there who think the Earth is flat. And they’re having conventions:

https://qz.com/1268605/what-its-like-to-attend-a-flat-earth-convention/^

Besides the absolutely dumb idea of a flat Earth and the dismissal of pretty much everything produced by the space program of a dozen countries, there’s something really interesting going on here. The flat Earther community is a really interesting case study^ when it comes to challenging the idea that “the Internet will make us smarter”.

It also shows a worrying connection between populism and disbelief in science. I’m all for free speech, but to demolish science in such a way brings thoughts of dystopia to my mind.

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About Them Crazy Conspiracy Theories

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Finally, somebody was able to explain why certain beliefs or theories manage to propagate through society with amazing success. Here’s an excellent short essay called “Crony Beliefs”:

http://www.meltingasphalt.com/crony-beliefs/^

Using a clever analogy that compares beliefs in the brain with employees at a company, the author explains how utter falsehoods are able to infiltrate the collective intellect, devouring minds with viral voracity. The essay goes through several solutions that seem reasonable, explaining why they are not sufficient. But worry not, a solid – although difficult – solution is proposed as well. Read the essay and get ready for the intellectual struggle of elevating our society’s resistance to lies and toxic reasoning.

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