The Politics of Fear: The Peculiar Persistence of American Paranoia by Arthur Goldwag
From the author of Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies, a probing exploration of the bizarre and dangerous conspiracies that have roiled America over the past decade and captured the minds of so many Americans.
"Belief in conspiracy theories appears to be driven by motives that can be characterized as epistemic (understanding one’s environment), existential (being safe and in control of one’s environment), and social (maintaining a positive image of the self and the social group)."
"Belief in conspiracy theories appears to be driven by motives that can be characterized as epistemic (understanding one’s environment), existential (being safe and in control of one’s environment), and social (maintaining a positive image of the self and the social group)."
"Prior research suggests several predictors of susceptibility to conspiracy theories, including narcissistic personality traits (grandiosity, need for uniqueness), cognitive processes (critical thinking, confirmation bias) and lack of education. The aim of the current paper was to explore how facets of narcissism predict susceptibility to conspiracy theories."
I think Orr/Hustings take on #conspiracytheories in Uscinskis book is pretty special. CT is a derogatory term they say, specifically to play down (correct) accusations raised by racial minorities. Of course, some CTs are true. However, that is not my intuitive understanding of the standard usage. Rather, I think of antivaxxers, fake moonlanding, etc. But this is my european reading. Maybe different in the US? @academicchatter#bullshit#fakenews#philosophy