""Multiple rebuttals also raise the complexity of possible conspiracist responses (not only must there be a conspiracy to remove thermometers, but there must also be a conspiracy to launch a false “decoy” theory about the absence of a plane hitting the Pentagon on 9/11 in order to detract from the real conspiracy, which was to destroy the Twin Towers, and so on.) Sunstein and Vermeule (2009) note the possibility of addressing the “demand” rather than “supply” of conspiracy theories; that is, rather than change the mind of actual believers, communication should be directed at potential consumers of theories to inoculate them against accepting such theories.
That was from the end of the study. I've never quite figured out how one gets inoculated against thinking, perhaps that's what most vaccines accomplish! I think that it is a weak attempt by a guy writing and living in the middle of nowhere to get some recognition. I think people like him are the problem, looking at the psychology of critical thinking like it is some kind of disease, all the while trumping up how he is the only critical thinker in the room!
The only thing I disagree with is the "middle of nowhere" comment. Metaphorically most people who challenge the orthodox are in the "middle of nowhere."Statistics: Posted by Misha — 06 Oct 2012, 01:23
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