In today's self-media era, various "conspiracy theories" prevail in the online public opinion field. In the eyes of some people, this world seems to be constructed entirely by conspiracy. Why do people want to believe in "conspiracy theories"? How to get out of the "conspiracy theory"?
Looking at the world, "conspiracy theories" have always been surpassed and even worse than the
20th anniversary of the "September 11" incident, the British "Guardian" published an editorial, arguing that the "Al Qaeda" organization launched a devastating attack and the United States' counterattack. It has had a profound and lasting impact on the world.
Indeed, the aftermath of this attack still shakes the world today. Many people, especially some American scholars who hold the "clash of civilization theory," still choose to believe in an extremely bold "conspiracy theory": This is a massacre orchestrated by the US government, and the so-called terrorist attack is just a cover. The U.S. government secretly buried explosives in the building, faked a video of "plane hitting the building," and then blew up the building. The United States wants to use this as an excuse to launch a global war on terrorism, eradicate the Islamic regime, and continue to consolidate its hegemony... No matter how experts clarify and demonstrate, the influence of "conspiracy theories" cannot be completely eliminated. In fact, it is not only the United States, but in the world, "conspiracy theories" have always been surpassed.
In the eyes of a considerable number of people, power and conspiracy always go hand in hand-without conspiracy, power cannot be obtained, and conspiracy is a game that only those with power are qualified to play. Therefore, many people are willing to believe in "conspiracy theories" and are also keen to spread "conspiracy theories."
In today's self-media era, various "conspiracy theories" prevail in the online public opinion field. In the eyes of some people, this world seems to be constructed entirely by conspiracy.
Why do people want to believe in "conspiracy theories"
Why do people want to believe in "conspiracy theories"? It can be understood from the following two perspectives.
From a cognitive perspective, "conspiracy theories" always tend to simplify the explanation of complex things. As long as things are beyond the scope of people's existing knowledge, they can be summarized as "conspiracy" and explained by conspiracy. All unrecognizable or confusing phenomena.
The world is complex and changeable, and the reasons behind major social phenomena and historical processes are usually complex and multifaceted. But the problem is that most people do not have specialized knowledge and scientific thinking ability. A simple, unitary explanation is the easiest for them to accept and understand. Unfortunately, there is also a rule, that is, the simplest explanation among various simplified explanations is often the most easily accepted and most popular.
The so-called scientific thinking mainly refers to the cognitive inclination and ability of a small number of people in the population to understand the underlying premises of things, which is also called "brain in mind" as the saying goes. The key factor in the cognitive aspect of the popularity of "conspiracy theory" is to artificially set a prerequisite. Once people accept this premise and enter its preset logic, they will be captured by the interlocking inferences. "Conspiracy theories" are always closed loops of argumentation. Once it enters the logical system set by the "conspiracy theory", everything is "natural".
However, "conspiracy theories" are often incorrect because their logical premises are one-sided or incorrect. It abandons other related factors and premises to prove its purpose, narrowing cognition. This in turn is in line with the characteristics of public cognition. The cognitive characteristics of people who do not have the ability to think scientifically are not easy to realize the potential premises contained in everything.
Why there is always a market for "conspiracy theories" can also be understood from the perspective of social psychology. If the state of the public’s cognitive psychology provides epistemological possibilities for “conspiracy theories”, then the public’s social psychology provides motivation and demand for “conspiracy theories”.
"Conspiracy theory" is a social need to satisfy social emotional catharsis. People will always encounter dissatisfaction in life, and they need a cathartic outlet. They have to find the cause of the dissatisfaction.
There are two directions to look for: one is self-attribution, and the other is social attribution. The more unhappy people are, the more likely they are to be attributed to others and society. They need to find reasons other than themselves, that is, to find an "enemy". To anger others is just to free yourself from the heart. "Conspiracy theories" are good materials to meet this kind of public psychological needs.
Historically, when social problems increase and social dissatisfaction increases, it is often the time when "conspiracy theories" prevail. The World Depression in the 1930s provided the impetus for anti-Semitism.
How to escape from the "conspiracy theory" to obtain true knowledge and freedom
to face today's various "conspiracy theory", our thinking often paralyzed, so that key events are inundated noise events, is an important node in the minutiae of confusion, cause deep Confused by superficial symptoms, core reasoning is hampered by trivial logic.
If we want to jump out of the "conspiracy theory" and gain true knowledge and freedom, we should do our best to obtain sufficient and accurate information to improve our rational ability. It is best to receive a complete science education, especially the methods of cultivating scientific thinking. This kind of scientific thinking includes logical analysis, dialectical thinking, and empathy. The most important thing is to have a scientific attitude of evidence, proof and falsification. When an explanation, no matter how reasonable and reasonable, is presented to us, the scientific attitude is first to see whether there is evidence, whether it is logical, and whether there is a way to verify right and wrong—rather than instinctively accepting, believing and disseminating it.
From the perspective of positive psychology, conspiracies in the world must have antecedents and consequences. There may be conspiracies against society at a certain stage, a certain event, and certain people, but we must believe that under the effect of time, all conspiracies will eventually become "conspiracy."
In a society with developed scientific thinking, trust in common sense and scientific evidence is more meaningful to our mental health and social development.
