303. Michael Shermer — Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational
The Michael Shermer Show
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Why Smart People Believe Blatantly Wrong Things
The opening epigram for the book comes from Stephen Pinker's latest book, Rationality. We can see why humans steer their reasoning toward conclusions that work to the advantage of themselves or their sex. Conspiracy theories incite terrorism, pogroms, wars, and genocide. A corrosion of standards of truth undermines democracy and clears the ground for tyranny. The arc of knowledge is a long one, and it bends toward rationality.
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