Conspiracy theories in science

Goertzel, Ted G.

doi:10.1038/embor.2010.84

Cited by 117 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Accordingly, there is growing evidence of the involvement of conspiracist ideation in climate science denial (McKewon, 2012a; Smith and Leiserowitz, 2012; Lewandowsky et al, in press) as well as the denial of other scientific propositions (Diethelm and McKee, 2009; Goertzel, 2010; McKee and Diethelm, 2010). The prevalence of conspiracist ideation has notable implications for science communicators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conspiratorial thinking, also known as conspiracist ideation, has been repeatedly implicated in the rejection of scientific propositions (Diethelm and McKee, 2009; Kalichman, 2009; Goertzel, 2010; McKee and Diethelm, 2010). Conspiracist ideation generally refers to the propensity to explain a significant political or social event as a secret plot by powerful individuals or organizations (Sunstein and Vermeule, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recursive Fury: Conspiracist Ideation in the Blogosphere in Response to Research on Conspiracist Ideation

Lewandowsky¹,

Cook²,

Oberauer³

et al. 2013

Front. Psychol.

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Conspiracist ideation has been repeatedly implicated in the rejection of scientific propositions, although empirical evidence to date has been sparse. A recent study involving visitors to climate blogs found that conspiracist ideation was associated with the rejection of climate science and the rejection of other scientific propositions such as the link between lung cancer and smoking, and between HIV and AIDS (Lewandowsky et al., in press; LOG12 from here on). This article analyses the response of the climate blogosphere to the publication of LOG12. We identify and trace the hypotheses that emerged in response to LOG12 and that questioned the validity of the paper’s conclusions. Using established criteria to identify conspiracist ideation, we show that many of the hypotheses exhibited conspiratorial content and counterfactual thinking. For example, whereas hypotheses were initially narrowly focused on LOG12, some ultimately grew in scope to include actors beyond the authors of LOG12, such as university executives, a media organization, and the Australian government. The overall pattern of the blogosphere’s response to LOG12 illustrates the possible role of conspiracist ideation in the rejection of science, although alternative scholarly interpretations may be advanced in the future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recursive Fury: Conspiracist Ideation in the Blogosphere in Response to Research on Conspiracist Ideation

Lewandowsky¹,

Cook²,

Oberauer³

et al. 2013

Front. Psychol.

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“…Research exploring the consequences of conspiracy theories is timely because despite claims that they are harmful, especially in raising suspicion concerning scientific claims (e.g., Goertzel, 2010;Sunstein & Vermeule, 2008), there is little evidence supporting this claim.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The social consequences of conspiracism: Exposure to conspiracy theories decreases intentions to engage in politics and to reduce one's carbon footprint

Jolley

Douglas

2013

British J of Psychology

471

460

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The current studies explored the social consequences of exposure to conspiracy theories. In Study 1, participants were exposed to a range of conspiracy theories concerning government involvement in significant events such as the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Results revealed that exposure to information supporting conspiracy theories reduced participants' intentions to engage in politics, relative to participants who were given information refuting conspiracy theories. This effect was mediated by feelings of political powerlessness. In Study 2, participants were exposed to conspiracy theories concerning the issue of climate change. Results revealed that exposure to information supporting the conspiracy theories reduced participants' intentions to reduce their carbon footprint, relative to participants who were given refuting information, or those in a control condition. This effect was mediated by powerlessness with respect to climate change, uncertainty, and disillusionment. Exposure to climate change conspiracy theories also influenced political intentions, an effect mediated by political powerlessness. The current findings suggest that conspiracy theories may have potentially significant social consequences, and highlight the need for further research on the social psychology of conspiracism.

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“…Goertzel () ties ideology and political commitments to conspiracy theories about science, including HIV/AIDS conspiracy theories, Genetically Modified Food (GMO) conspiracy theories, “anti‐vax” conspiracy theories, and climate change conspiracy theories (see also Weigmann, ). One recent survey showed that over a third of Americans agree that global warming is a hoax (Public Policy Polling, ), making climate skepticism very much a mainstream belief.…”

Section: Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Conspiracy Theories

Douglas

Uscinski

Sutton

et al. 2019

Political Psychology

955

907

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Scholarly efforts to understand conspiracy theories have grown significantly in recent years, and there is now a broad and interdisciplinary literature. In reviewing this body of work, we ask three specific questions. First, what factors are associated with conspiracy beliefs? Our review of the literature shows that conspiracy beliefs result from a range of psychological, political, and social factors. Next, how are conspiracy theories communicated? Here, we explain how conspiracy theories are shared among individuals and spread through traditional and social media platforms. Next, what are the societal risks and rewards associated with conspiracy theories? By focusing on politics and science, we argue that conspiracy theories do more harm than good. We conclude by suggesting several promising avenues for future research.

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Conspiracy theories in science

Abstract: Although few conspiracy theories target the natural sciences, they can have severe effects on public health or environmental policies. Ted Goertzel explains how scientists could help to prevent and mitigate potentially harmful conspiracy theories.

Cited by 117 publications

References 10 publications

Recursive Fury: Conspiracist Ideation in the Blogosphere in Response to Research on Conspiracist Ideation

Recursive Fury: Conspiracist Ideation in the Blogosphere in Response to Research on Conspiracist Ideation

The social consequences of conspiracism: Exposure to conspiracy theories decreases intentions to engage in politics and to reduce one's carbon footprint

Understanding Conspiracy Theories

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