Why I Don't Believe in Conspiracy Theories

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When she was growing up, i thought people believed in conspiracy theories because they didn't know the truth. I don't know why it took me talking to actual conspiracy terris to make the connection that it was not that they didn't have the information,. and that the reasons they believe in conspiracies often have nothing to do with what the truth really is. And for a long time, i would treat them like hucklers. But when i'm coming into their own i probbably shouldn't do this because i'm outnumbered at this point.

In this episode we sit down with Joey Rodman (@okiespacequeen), a science educator in Oklahoma whose recent Twitter thread about using a portable planetarium to reach out to flat earthers went viral thanks to their counterintuitive advice about how to discuss science denial and conspiracy theories with people who may have never interacted with a scientist before.

After years of on-the-ground, one-on-one conversations, Joey has developed a technique similar to those we've discussed on the show, including street epistemology, motivational interviewing, deep canvassing, and even the socratic method. It shares elements with all of these, but was developed in-person through conversations with people who met with Joey in their communities and home towns.

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