Bringing conspiracy theorists back from the brink (with Jesse Richardson)

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Dec 28, 2023

In this engaging discussion, Jesse Richardson, an internationally award-winning creative director and founder of The School of Thought, dives deep into the world of conspiracy theories. He addresses the psychological motivations behind conspiratorial thinking, emphasizing how personality traits like narcissism play a role. Explore strategies for effective communication with those entrenched in these beliefs while fostering open dialogue. Jesse also highlights the balance between educational reforms and cultural changes needed to enhance critical thinking skills in society.

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INSIGHT

Conspiracy Prevalence

Conspiracy theories are not more common now, historically.
Social media amplifies some theories, creating doubt even without firm belief.

INSIGHT

Societal Feature

Conspiracy theorists exist in every society, questioning authority.
This questioning can be beneficial, holding power accountable (e.g., governments).

ANECDOTE

True Conspiracies

Some conspiracies are true, like MKUltra (LSD experiments) and a San Francisco bioweapon test.
These real events blur the lines between 'conspiracy theory' and reality.

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Read the full transcript here.

Have conspiracy theories been more prevalent, more persuasive, or more convoluted in the last few decades than at other points in human history? Is the presence of conspiracy theorists a feature of every society? The phrase "conspiracy theory" usually implies a false theory, even though some are eventually proven to be true; so how can we update our language to better differentiate between disconfirmed and not-yet-confirmed conspiracy theories? How can people who've really gone down a conspiracy theory rabbit hole come back back from the brink? More generally, what conditions need to be met for a person to change their mind about anything? What are the key motivators of conspiratorial thinking? Why do so many conspiracy theories incorporate strong antisemitic elements? To what degree are conspiracy theorists swayed by arguments from the requisite number of co-conspirators in a conspiracy? How should people research a conspiracy theory? Which personality traits are correlated with conspiratorial thinking? What's a good definition of wisdom? And how could wisdom help us combat the epistemic crisis through which we seem to be living right now? When, if ever, is it useful to approach a topic adversarially? Which would better mitigate the epistemic crisis: education reform or cultural change?

Jesse Richardson is an internationally award-winning creative director and the founder of the nonprofit The School of Thought, which is dedicated to promoting critical thinking, reason, and understanding. The Creative Commons resources The School of Thought has produced have so far reached over 30 million people and are being used in thousands of schools, universities, and companies worldwide. Their latest project is The Conspiracy Test, which is a gamified way to help increase healthy skepticism about conspiracy theories. It can been accessed for free at theconspiracytest.org. Learn more about Jesse and The School of Thought at schoolofthought.org.

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Staff

Spencer Greenberg — Host / Director
Josh Castle — Producer
Ryan Kessler — Audio Engineer
Uri Bram — Factotum
WeAmplify — Transcriptionists
Miles Kestran — Marketing

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