The growth of belief in conspiracies - where does it come from?

 

Dr Michael Shermer, Editor of Skeptic Magazine distinguishes between real conspiracies, the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand in 1914 or Abraham Lincoln from the extreme conspiracy theories of our era. 

You might also look up the use of panic and scare mongering by Titus Oates and the Horrid Popish Plot - ask Mr Gardner about that one.

 Conspiracy theories fill an emotional need to believe that 'someone' or some group is in control of events. Even if they are 'devils' or 'aliens'. If the alternative is an age of uncertainty with no consensus about whether god or gods exist, is there a meaning to life or is it all just as Paul Auster wrote "The Music of Chance"?
Samuel Beckett suggests we are 'waiting' for someone to rescue us instead of acting ourselves.
Because religion offers 'absolute truths' it provides structure and comfort to a world that often seems random and cruel.
"God if he exists, contributes to the chaos by his silence." Michael Sinclair.

Other conspiracy theories:
Water fluoridation is effective at reducing cavities in both children and adults. Generally accepted fact by the majority of scientific community.
OR
Water fluoridation is a government plot to exercise mind control on the public.
Water fluoridation is a communist plot to exercise mind control on the public. USA 1950-1960.
Pakistan extremists kill medical workers because they believe that the anti-polio vaccination programme is a CIA plot to make people infertile.

The challenge for TOK learners is to weigh the evidence, follow the scientific method, look at the sources and their authority.

The Prophet Hen of Leeds


That's right. In 1806 a prophetic hen was discovered in Leeds, England. It conveyed its barnyard wisdom using the king's English on the side of its own eggs. Of course it was discovered that the owner of the hen was using acid to write "Christ is coming" on the side of the eggs, and then shoving them back into the chosen fowl.
It was a hoax by Mary Bateman, who had written on the eggs using acid and reinserted them into the hen's oviduct.^{[3] WIKIPEDIA - SEE ALSO BOOK BELOW}

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds