"Under the influence of great fear, almost everybody becomes superstitious. Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity towards those who are not regarded as members of the herd. Fear generates impulses of cruelty, and therefore promotes such superstitious beliefs as seem to justify cruelty. Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear." ~Russell
I worked in public health for a while in the New Mexico Dept. of Health - I was one of the program managers in a youth substance abuse prevention program. We funded and trained county and tribal health councils who were using evidence-based programs. They took program models approved by SAMHSA (the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and adapted them to the cultural and other unique conditions in their own communities. One of the most effective strategies was to train teenagers in media literacy. When it was presented in terms of sellers using cognitive tricks to persuade them to buy their products, the adolescents took to it eagerly - the idea of adults trying to con them really angered them, and the chance to learn to spot these tricks appealed strongly to them.
He left off the other reason people share things they know aren't true, "I don't know if this is true, but it makes the people I hate look bad, so here goes".
I lost my person, lover, and lobster to the anti-vax/lab leak COVID/LGBTQ agenda conspiracy theories. I knew it was lost when he, a life long Republican, said he was thinking about voting for RFK Jr after listening to him on Joe Rogan. I finally realized his conspiracy theories/beliefs are more important to him than I am.
So tragic, others have lost everything that really matters, like family and loved one's that are so unbearably far down the conspiracy whirlpool they may never come back up to reality. Social media has enabled things to become more widespread than it ever could in the pre-internet times.
MY maternal grandfather in Australia was a Wobbly (IWW) and it has always been a point of honour within the family. I am at a time in my life when I feel as though we have had a tumultuous time for most of the time. The Vietnam War was the "wallpaper" of my childhood as the lead story on the 7pm news every night. The 60s was significant in Australia for the campaign to make First Nations peoples (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) citizens and we are still dealing with the tragic consequences of institutional racism against the oldest iculture on the planet today. There were so many coups (Greece, Chile) and repressive wars in East Timor (now Timor Leste) and in West Papua in our region, plus all Australia's involvements in all the US wars via the ANZUS pact (Australia, New Zealand and US). Hoover had an enormous impact in Australia as the anti communist zealot who influenced all the conservative Australian politicians of the post WWII era. The huge difference about these periods, then and now, is the digital revolution imo. Even if the story isn't told, there's more chance that evidence will remain, admittedly in possibly dispararate places, which can be used to retell untold narratives. The 1/6 Committee proves how difficult it might be if there has been deliberate attempts to hide evidence of events. It's so important that evidence isn't ignored or lost and the experience of blacks and lynchings is one such case. In Australia the attempt by officialdom to write indigenous history out of existence has been epic. Likewise, the fight to reinstate indigenous history has been an epic battle too, and that's a continuing challenge which we are still facing, constitutionally and socially.
Do you think the low publioc trust may havev anythiing to do with a President who is willing to outright lie about anything, at any time, for the most trivial of reasons?
One can protect themselves from misinformation, disinformation and outright lies, by checking out multiple sources and their credentials, and possible motives, educating oneself is about researching and studying all the sciences, history and being open to exploring new ideas, and ones experience in life, is also a wealth of knowledge, as they often confirm the things you learn, and remember people can be cruel when they dislike you for personal reasons, they often ostracized and liable you, out of jealousy etc, having faith in oneself is essential for survival…
@@pamlewis1183 thank you, you express my comment so well, “critical thinking skill” are seriously lacking, today, even educated people don’t always connect the all the dots, especially understanding climate change, a common mistake they make is to say that because earth warmed in the past it’s all just a hocks, cycle, or “gods will”, ignoring the reasons, why,, the differences for earth dramatic climate change today is due to humans, not a natural cycle,however, natural cycle do occurs, due to earth rotation and other, like volcanic activity, which help save earth from the snow ball effect, but took thousands of years for earth to recover, however a major volcanic eruption can also cause earth to cool, was likely was the reason for the mini ice age in the mid evil times, when there was no summer, and people starved, Europe, etc, so understanding the reasons, causes and effect, requires critical thinking skills in many areas of science, engineering, etc, and anyone can acquire critical thinking skill, like in good will hunting, an a $1,60 in library late fees…glad to hear is served you well, Mine too, Peace!
The Establishment doesn't want us checking out multiple sources. That's why they slap other sources with a 100% arbitrary "misinformation" label, as though the opinion of Russian collusion hoaxers should be taken seriously
@The Orange Anchor exactly, everyone makes mistakes, even the best of them, but a true critical thinker, regardless of his/her education or position, should be open to changing one position…I’m always updating or change, when the proven facts dictate, due to new discoveries that have passed pier evaluation, like the direction of a hurricane as patterns and pressure ridges change, cues and effects, thermodynamics rule…
So glad to see this new series kicking off. I love Commonwealth Club presentations anyway, and this is a topic in dire need of further discussion. Thanks for the video, and please keep them coming!
Not question, humor: if the Earth were flat, cats would have pushed everything off by now! The ancients knew the earth is round!!! They figured it out SCIENTIFICALLY!
Approximately @36:30: Where I agree with Dr. Pierre on creating or getting trust (Honesty/Transparency/Engagement), when it comes to 'transparency' I believe people who instinctually wanna disagree with, .... ___________ whatever, will still be prone to pick out certain facts that will, in their minds, prove their biases. I ain't saying don't try. I'm saying it ain't gonna be an easy path. Best to all, G
Not only are falsehoods more attractive than truth, but it seems so easy to spew them in large number. In contrast, the correcting of them is a slow, painstaking job.
@@cherylanderson3340 Thank you. I’m not trying to make a philosophical generalization, so much as I’m trying to comment on the bewildering historical moment in which we find ourselves.
@@chrisedwards2272 Guess what...this was what the scientists thought in the beginning - like a flu or allergy shot. But this thing is more persistent. Virologists are still trying their best but it's still a matter of trial & error. Not everyone has a healthy immune system. It seems that those who are most likely to die are those not yet vaccinated & those who are old and sickly. There's also a lack of sufficient vitamin D theory that seems likely.
well,its usually the easiest way out.cherrypick some facts, dont use any scientific method, but force everybody into believing you did use, then form any conclusion needed. doesnt harm when you make an offer at the end, that if science will be taken serious YOUR work is science too
My nickname at one company I worked for was 'Spock". I was SHOCKED, of course because I thought they was saying I was DULL & BORING but, no, it WAS a "compliment" (they claimed) because I had the job of "training" new hires and They WAY I went about it was "very analytical" and it reminded them of the character "Spock". The owner pulled me aside and said,"being boss, especially a WOMAN boss I have always been called "ANAL" for awhile, wear it like a "badge" of HONOR! I was like, ok.....I am ANAL??????? Oh, well, you don't REALLY know yourself and it takes OTHERS to see it "in" you! Now, ACCEPTING the "truth" about yourself, and having the COURAGE to alter/change WHO you are is called GROWTH!!! Truth can be PAINFUL!!!
You can't change who you are, and trying to just to pander to others' opinion of you is a bad idea. Opinions are NOT truth, and are only painful if you forget that. What takes courage is staying true to yourself in spite of social pressure, not caving in to it :)
Interesting discussion. Rather than using the term "conspiracy theory," I use the term "wingnut notion." To call these crackpot ideas (Pizzagate, microchips in vaccines et al) "theories" elevates them, in my view. My question: How can we reclaim folks who've fallen down these rabbit holes?
Discourtesy in the form of the theoretical conspiracy represents an unkind symantic power that illustrates one's willingness to use the cultivation of anxiety, punishment and pain as control mechanisms.
Well this has aged badly. From Atlantic Monthly Derek Thompson: "My advice in navigating this mess is: Do not trust people who, in their handling of complex questions with imperfect data, manufacture simplistic answers with perfect confidence. Instead, trust people who allow for complexity and uncertainty. Trust people who change their mind when the evidence changes. Trust people who, when they say “Believe the science!” put their trust in science, with a small-s, which is the dynamic reevaluation of complicated truths, rather than SCIENCE, in weird caps-lock font, which has come to mean the faith that for every random political position, there exists an official-looking study to permanently justify it. I wish the field of epidemiology was made up of immutable laws as settled as the roundness of the Earth and the power of gravity. It’s not. Its priors are vulnerable to reevaluation. If you want to stay right in this space, you have to be curious enough to potentially prove yourself wrong. You have to keep paying attention. For better or worse, that’s science." "False" and "conspiracy theory" is not an opinion about complex systems and novel situations that you don't agree with. What happened to epistemic humility?
54:00 That's why I write "cuckoo idea". When we make a lecture about "cuckoo ideas" and say "cuckoo idea" all the time we end up making the idea of "cuckoo ideas" more available. Now, imagine when you use a word like "theory" when talking about "cuckoo ideas"?
@@ShamanicSavant Because they were not given good advice, or support, early enough, are constantly intimidated, or threatened by those who enjoy being violent, the powerful, the fearmongering elements of politics, that create scapegoats and villains for the masses to despise. + family situation, willful ignorance due to poor education/early indoctrination into religion, their peers, personal life experience feelings over facts + prejudice/confirmation bias.
I hope it stops soon. It's damaging my mental health a lot. I worry if this many people are insane, what will happen to the world in the future? Will they win, will they manage to scare everyone away from science? What is going to happen, this is the first time in history we've had access to the internet during a hysteria event and it seems it's just getting worse and worse as we go along. I'm seriously thinking about committing myself because of how unstable and dangerous to others I am now. I never used to be like this but turns out if you encounter stupidity enough it drives you to the brink of destruction
I believe false beliefs and conspiracy theories have become so powerful these days because they mostly are the truth if you do the research! It is hard to have trust when you have been lied to for so long about so many things…this is why knowledge is held onto by a relatively small group of unaccountables who tell the truth- but how much of the tribe listens to what they’re saying, planning and doing?
...and at the time there was a huge reaction against the proposed war in Iraq. I know that one because it got me going down the rabbbit hole too! I got better.
@@cherylanderson3340 As all theories eventually do in any course of scientific advancement. Theoretical Physics is blowing my mind; it's casting scrutiny on some of Newton's and even Einstein's theories.
I got no idea who they are polling, it sure isn't me. But; I gotta believe lots of people are gaming the polls they take part of. I certainly would respond to a poll about elections in way which would turn out the most people to vote as I would. Which would be to say I was planning to vote for the opposition, bulking up the numbers for them to make more people vote my way. Otherwise, if polls showed voting my way was a done deal, less people would get out to vote my way.
I once worked with someone who introduced me to the Flat-Earth theory. I guess I started raising my eyebrows when I realized he was serious. I just find this theory EXTREMELY difficult to even consider!! It just seems to belie empirical experience or the mountain of evidence to the contrary.
You're supposed to, it's designed to discredit ANY alternative theories. It's unfortunate but some people will bite on anything just to be contrarians. What's new is labeling any alternatives to the lies being spewed as conspiracy theories, and anyone considering those theories as dangerous nut cases. These are textbook cult manipulation tactics :)
I am married to a flat-earther. 🙄I gave up on arguing about it a long time ago. I finally told him that neither one of us is planning on leaving earth, so it is a pretty ridiculous argument. I don't care if the earth is really a pyramid, as long as it continues to function the way it is supposed to then it doesn't concern me, besides I was a Biology major, I barely passed my basic high-school level Geometry & Physics then I vowed to never concern myself with math again. I do firmly believe the earth is round-ish, but if the flat-earthers turned out to be right, and were able to prove it, it would not change anything in my life at all. We would all go, "hmmm...weird, I guess you were right"... and then we would go back to living our lives.
Raise of hands - how many people who are watching this think that presentations about conspiracy theories are meant to create taboos about questioning authority generally? I would much rather hear a lecture about the history of efforts by powerful entities to label legitimate criticism as conspiracy theory. Also, would the speaker agree that all religions are, by definition, conspiracy theories? Or is the difference that most religions are not dangerous to the status quo, and therefore not labeled as conspiracy theories. The speaker in fact focuses on “harmful” conspiracy theories but never asks “harmful to whom”?
I have a theory of a conspiracy. I theorize this man wouldn't be allowed to make a lot of money and surely wouldn't be able to have the platform to speak here if he hadn't given up his right to freedom of thought and speech if he didn't just say what's required to be in the Club. "They're all in the Club,,, And you ain't in it!" Carl Sagan Oh no, Sagan is in the Club. It must've been another Carl. And I respectfully said all the above just as Dr Joe respectfully has been respectful as possible while being dismissive of anyone that won't just follow the narrative. Let Freedom Reign!
I think another factor is "Justification of Loss" or the "I let you win" syndrome. I recently saw an interview with a Chinese badminton player who claimed she intentionally thew her Olympic gold match because the government had "decided" the other player should win, so she had hit the shuttlecock out of bounds and made bad plays "on purpose." It is showing up even in Republican runoff elections with Republicans blaming their loss on election cheating by their own people. It seems people are learning the three year old's "blame game" in order to deal with disappointment instead of looking to improve one's position to deal with loss.
Look how quickly Republican politicians flocked to embrace and spread this poison, just because they believe their political careers will be over. The complete absence of ethics and honesty is shocking.
What about the Russian collusion conspiracy theory? Or the "Institutional racism" conspiracy theory which can't explain why Asians outearn whites or go to jail less than whites?
Maybe some people feel so lonely & insecure they become gullible which makes them easy prey for conspirators to suck them into their cults. They probably find comfort in the craziest of conspiracies giving them a feeling of belonging. I don't know..just guessing again. 🤔
That’s a big part of it. Many refused to take the Covid vaccine because or fear of being ostracized by their social circle. People were showing up to be vaccinated incognito, hoping they wouldn’t be recognized by friends from church. So much disinformation was coming from pastors in far right churches.
Because they accept reality, and know there is a pathogen around that can make them really sick? You don't know anybody's health situation, or who they have at home that might have delicate health. And it's not really your business if they feel they must still guard against infection. It's nothing to you.
@@argusfleibeit1165 lol. Just put your head in the sand and do as you are told. Good slave. Amz8bg how zombified the masses truly are, so at least yiu have lots if company!
i really liked this video, I am a huge conservative and lean right big time, and conspiracy theorists drive me insane with how they twist misinformation and attempt to make it truth, It involves mostly left leaning but there are many on the right side of politics that believe in conspiracy theories also. But the left leaning political side is so much into conspiracy theories it simply kills me every time i hear one speak.
I appreciate this but it feels like pathologizing facts. "The internet you installed was not real." " Oh, its all in your head". Presumably, because I'm senile. Showed him the router and all the wires in a pile on the ground. Then showed him the internet working perfectly. He quit 20 minutes later. Due to my pathological lack of trust for which I should be legally liable.
Thanks for modeling that speaking in public (in this case, the introduction) can be made wearing a mask. Kudos to those who continue to put health and safety first, not to mention consideration for others, by mask wearing. (We're all in this pandemic together vs as ever person for themself!)
A huge problem indeed, especially compounded with targeted disinformation campaigns and the development of AI by the corporations as it is now becoming. people that want a decent, happy, healthy society, nice things for everyone are likely fvckd.
Calling religious dieatary restrictions a 'cuckoo idea" is an example of why 'cuckoo ideas' are so popular. It shows a complete ignorance about antropology and complete arrogance towardsf different cultural habits. Here's a little story: I once worked with a Hinduist Indian and since I knew they are vegetarian I asked for a pizza half mozzarella / half pepperoni. I was then surprised when my friend said he could not eat because the mozzarella half came in the same box as the pepperoni half. I then said "but that makes no sense!". My Hinduist friend then told me "it's religion, Mr. Max - it really doesn't make sense".
Truth will always prevail and it doesn't come in "limping" after the lies. Truth comes in like a freight train every single time. The fact you are even still living in California despite not being homeless reflects your current mental state.
It appears he doesn't want to offend anyone. I'm not sure his is from the best field to be analyzing this whole conspiracy area of study in terms of grasping the bigger picture. The notation of UFO 's on one of the slides maybe would make more sense to have been, "ALIEN SPACECRAFT", since UFO's have been acknowledged for many decade. As to their origin there is no consensus that they are "alien craft".: The real question is one of identification of what exactly they actually are, not whether they exist or not
@Jesse Hansen lots of bots here, throwing little one-line insults. It's classic. They sound the same, use the same format, every where you go. Their presence is a signal of nearby truth (whatever they are attacking).
@@veritas6335 shadow banning, lab Leak, vac will protect, natural immunity, laptop, Pelosi, govt controlling social media, masks, adverse affects, F a u ci patent, Birx book .. nvr tested it was funny how peep believed, vax passport, silence any view,
The subject of this talk - the second one - is so dangerous I never write it substituting the term by "cuckoo ideas". One observation: every narrative is false in some measure since they are a linearization of a non-linear complex system. We must remember, however, that there are narratives that aim at the truth (or at a truth) and we need these narratives. We must also always remember that these correct narratives often diverse and even divergent. 3rd important to remember: there are aspects of the human experience that cannot be put into a narrative and the best example is the experience of foot soldiers in major wars. (see the first part of "The Living Dead" BBC/Adam Curtis). Observation: "cuckoo ideas" are part of the US culture since the first settlers and not so aluminum foil hat wearing people held these beliefs like Richard Nixon and District Attorney of Orleans Parish Jim Garrison. In my opinion what caused these cuckoo ideas to get more dangerous - before the internet even - was the discovery, by the US public, about the many CIA conspiracies against foreign governments and foreign leaders. Contributing to that is the weaponizing of 'cuckoo ideas' by the US government - examples are Perception Management during the 80s with the Sandinistas and the spread of information about collaborations between extra-terrestrial visitors and the US government. The spread of the ET/Government collaboration was created to hide things like the B2 bomber. "Cuckoo Ideas" are, by definition, false. Conspiracies, however, are real. What is surprising to me is how much smart people know about "cuckoo ideas" but have never heard about the Lewis Power Memo. The Netflix documentary about flat-earthers is excellent, btw!
By his definition of Conspiracy Theory 16:35 (rejects authoritative narrative in favor of explanations involving group of malevolent intent) Tobacco was actually quite healthy in the 1950's and relieved stress. Claiming Tobacco was unhealthy in the 1950's would have been a conspiracy theory. But at some point in the 1980's Tobacco became unhealthy, for no reason. Same for lead, BPA, electroshock therapy, and lithium. This working definition doesn't seem intellectually rigorous and at worst disingenuous. Psychiatry as field today, is not without conflicts of interest (namely pharmaceutical). Do we want psychiatrists defining "conspiracy" in terms of "authority". What are the political consequences of this definition? what incentives does this provide to ethically agnostic corporations? for example, if a pharmaceutical company can define a conspiracy theory based on it's opposition to an authoritative narrative AND that same pharmaceutical company is underwriting that very authoritative narrative, then you have created a systemic conflict of interest, and mechanism for exploitation, oppression, profiteering? Many great insights in this talk, but I don't understand the flippant interjection of this problematic definition. I also don't understand his dismissal of "follow the money". If you compare the money behind pharmaceutical companies (trillions) to any conspiracy propagator (trump the billionaire was motivated by money to spread misinformation?) you can't logically pick the latter as having more to gain --
I know this thinly veiled disdain in every one of these talks, clearly putting the onus of belief in these silly delusions on the individual. Don't get me wrong this speaker was more gentle and placating than most, but the idea that so many act as if conspiracies are imaginary and we who dare doubt the wise, benevolence of our leaders and powerful corporations are clearly struggling with a mental illness...it just boggles my mind. We have had (at least) two presidential administrations caught red-handed in MASSIVE far-reaching conspiracies with international ramifications. We held lengthy, very public trials, heard confessions, and top officials were convicted and served prison sentences. Watergate? Iran Contra? Are we just saying those didn't happen now? ...they did and those who took part were involved in massive conspiracies...but I am sure those were just a few bad apples...🙄
hear him pretty well with a mask on, sucks for him wearing a mask, he's probably insecure about his face, that's a big reason people still mask up, to stay hidden.
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"Under the influence of great fear, almost everybody becomes superstitious.
Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity towards those who are not regarded as members of the herd.
Fear generates impulses of cruelty, and therefore promotes such superstitious beliefs as seem to justify cruelty.
Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear."
~Russell
Other than replacing "superstitious" with "susceptible to brainwashing" I wholeheartedly concur :)
@@ShamanicSavant That, too.
I worked in public health for a while in the New Mexico Dept. of Health - I was one of the program managers in a youth substance abuse prevention program. We funded and trained county and tribal health councils who were using evidence-based programs. They took program models approved by SAMHSA (the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and adapted them to the cultural and other unique conditions in their own communities.
One of the most effective strategies was to train teenagers in media literacy. When it was presented in terms of sellers using cognitive tricks to persuade them to buy their products, the adolescents took to it eagerly - the idea of adults trying to con them really angered them, and the chance to learn to spot these tricks appealed strongly to them.
He left off the other reason people share things they know aren't true, "I don't know if this is true, but it makes the people I hate look bad, so here goes".
Speaking for yourself?
I lost my person, lover, and lobster to the anti-vax/lab leak COVID/LGBTQ agenda conspiracy theories. I knew it was lost when he, a life long Republican, said he was thinking about voting for RFK Jr after listening to him on Joe Rogan.
I finally realized his conspiracy theories/beliefs are more important to him than I am.
So tragic, others have lost everything that really matters, like family and loved one's that are so unbearably far down the conspiracy whirlpool they may never come back up to reality. Social media has enabled things to become more widespread than it ever could in the pre-internet times.
MY maternal grandfather in Australia was a Wobbly (IWW) and it has always been a point of honour within the family. I am at a time in my life when I feel as though we have had a tumultuous time for most of the time. The Vietnam War was the "wallpaper" of my childhood as the lead story on the 7pm news every night. The 60s was significant in Australia for the campaign to make First Nations peoples (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) citizens and we are still dealing with the tragic consequences of institutional racism against the oldest iculture on the planet today. There were so many coups (Greece, Chile) and repressive wars in East Timor (now Timor Leste) and in West Papua in our region, plus all Australia's involvements in all the US wars via the ANZUS pact (Australia, New Zealand and US). Hoover had an enormous impact in Australia as the anti communist zealot who influenced all the conservative Australian politicians of the post WWII era.
The huge difference about these periods, then and now, is the digital revolution imo. Even if the story isn't told, there's more chance that evidence will remain, admittedly in possibly dispararate places, which can be used to retell untold narratives. The 1/6 Committee proves how difficult it might be if there has been deliberate attempts to hide evidence of events. It's so important that evidence isn't ignored or lost and the experience of blacks and lynchings is one such case. In Australia the attempt by officialdom to write indigenous history out of existence has been epic. Likewise, the fight to reinstate indigenous history has been an epic battle too, and that's a continuing challenge which we are still facing, constitutionally and socially.
Do you think the low publioc trust may havev anythiing to do with a President who is willing to outright lie about anything, at any time, for the most trivial of reasons?
The mistrust/distrust began with Ronald Reagan who taught the our government is our enemy
Yep sounds about right💯
Yes, buts it’s also indicative of more. That more definition is going to be squirrelly.
Fact: Russian trolls **unofficially** aligned w/DJT GOP. 2022 comedy depicts Joe “AAS” Rogan impaled on a butt plug. Much deserved.
You are giving the public too much credit. It has much more to do with collective stupidity and mental illness.
One can protect themselves from misinformation, disinformation and outright lies, by checking out multiple sources and their credentials, and possible motives, educating oneself is about researching and studying all the sciences, history and being open to exploring new ideas, and ones experience in life, is also a wealth of knowledge, as they often confirm the things you learn, and remember people can be cruel when they dislike you for personal reasons, they often ostracized and liable you, out of jealousy etc, having faith in oneself is essential for survival…
Yup. Critical thinking. It has served me well 😊
@@pamlewis1183 thank you, you express my comment so well, “critical thinking skill” are seriously lacking, today, even educated people don’t always connect the all the dots, especially understanding climate change, a common mistake they make is to say that because earth warmed in the past it’s all just a hocks, cycle, or “gods will”, ignoring the reasons, why,, the differences for earth dramatic climate change today is due to humans, not a natural cycle,however, natural cycle do occurs, due to earth rotation and other, like volcanic activity, which help save earth from the snow ball effect, but took thousands of years for earth to recover, however a major volcanic eruption can also cause earth to cool, was likely was the reason for the mini ice age in the mid evil times, when there was no summer, and people starved, Europe, etc, so understanding the reasons, causes and effect, requires critical thinking skills in many areas of science, engineering, etc, and anyone can acquire critical thinking skill, like in good will hunting, an a $1,60 in library late fees…glad to hear is served you well, Mine too, Peace!
The Establishment doesn't want us checking out multiple sources. That's why they slap other sources with a 100% arbitrary "misinformation" label, as though the opinion of Russian collusion hoaxers should be taken seriously
@The Orange Anchor exactly, everyone makes mistakes, even the best of them, but a true critical thinker, regardless of his/her education or position, should be open to changing one position…I’m always updating or change, when the proven facts dictate, due to new discoveries that have passed pier evaluation, like the direction of a hurricane as patterns and pressure ridges change, cues and effects, thermodynamics rule…
@@pamlewis1183 How do you know?
Make truth free without charge! We noticed that lies are super free and cause issues!
"CAUSE ISSUES? ". Duh! Like the destruction of democracy maybe?
So glad to see this new series kicking off. I love Commonwealth Club presentations anyway, and this is a topic in dire need of further discussion. Thanks for the video, and please keep them coming!
Glad you enjoy it!
Not question, humor: if the Earth were flat, cats would have pushed everything off by now!
The ancients knew the earth is round!!! They figured it out SCIENTIFICALLY!
😊😆😊😆😊
Not everything, they need us to serve them :)
Excellent talk, and questions- useful to share around.
Approximately @36:30: Where I agree with Dr. Pierre on creating or getting trust (Honesty/Transparency/Engagement), when it comes to 'transparency' I believe people who instinctually wanna disagree with, .... ___________ whatever, will still be prone to pick out certain facts that will, in their minds, prove their biases. I ain't saying don't try. I'm saying it ain't gonna be an easy path. Best to all, G
And now you know what "facts" are. There is no such thing as a "fact", only your opinion that it is or isn't :)
Not only are falsehoods more attractive than truth, but it seems so easy to spew them in large number. In contrast, the correcting of them is a slow, painstaking job.
Falsehoods are not inherently more believable to all of us.
@@cherylanderson3340 Thank you. I’m not trying to make a philosophical generalization, so much as I’m trying to comment on the bewildering historical moment in which we find ourselves.
@@drawn2myattention641 I totally agree & with your point about the challenges of dealing with deliberate obfuscation & reversing disinformation.
Like Biden saying you won't get covid if you take the jab?
@@chrisedwards2272 Guess what...this was what the scientists thought in the beginning - like a flu or allergy shot. But this thing is more persistent.
Virologists are still trying their best but it's still a matter of trial & error.
Not everyone has a healthy immune system. It seems that those who are most likely to die are those not yet vaccinated & those who are old and sickly.
There's also a lack of sufficient vitamin D theory that seems likely.
well,its usually the easiest way out.cherrypick some facts, dont use any scientific method, but force everybody into believing you did use, then form any conclusion needed. doesnt harm when you make an offer at the end, that if science will be taken serious YOUR work is science too
My nickname at one company I worked for was 'Spock". I was SHOCKED, of course because I thought they was saying I was DULL & BORING but, no, it WAS a "compliment" (they claimed) because I had the job of "training" new hires and They WAY I went about it was "very analytical" and it reminded them of the character "Spock". The owner pulled me aside and said,"being boss, especially a WOMAN boss I have always been called "ANAL" for awhile, wear it like a "badge" of HONOR! I was like, ok.....I am ANAL??????? Oh, well, you don't REALLY know yourself and it takes OTHERS to see it "in" you! Now, ACCEPTING the "truth" about yourself, and having the COURAGE to alter/change WHO you are is called GROWTH!!! Truth can be PAINFUL!!!
You can't change who you are, and trying to just to pander to others' opinion of you is a bad idea. Opinions are NOT truth, and are only painful if you forget that. What takes courage is staying true to yourself in spite of social pressure, not caving in to it :)
Great overview presentation by Dr Joe Pierre! Thank you, Commonwealth Club!
follow the money, it usually tells the tale of who, what, and especially why.
Interesting discussion. Rather than using the term "conspiracy theory," I use the term "wingnut notion." To call these crackpot ideas (Pizzagate, microchips in vaccines et al) "theories" elevates them, in my view. My question: How can we reclaim folks who've fallen down these rabbit holes?
Textbook gaslighting. Are you a bot?
So sad to see the loss of truth...
I do not believe conspiracy theories, butt I have to respect makers creativity.
Discourtesy in the form of the theoretical conspiracy represents an unkind symantic power that illustrates one's willingness to use the cultivation of anxiety, punishment and pain as control mechanisms.
🎵🎶 It was just my imagination🎶🎵
🎵🎶Ruining away with me🎶🎵
Well this has aged badly. From Atlantic Monthly Derek Thompson: "My advice in navigating this mess is: Do not trust people who, in their handling of complex questions with imperfect data, manufacture simplistic answers with perfect confidence. Instead, trust people who allow for complexity and uncertainty. Trust people who change their mind when the evidence changes. Trust people who, when they say “Believe the science!” put their trust in science, with a small-s, which is the dynamic reevaluation of complicated truths, rather than SCIENCE, in weird caps-lock font, which has come to mean the faith that for every random political position, there exists an official-looking study to permanently justify it. I wish the field of epidemiology was made up of immutable laws as settled as the roundness of the Earth and the power of gravity. It’s not. Its priors are vulnerable to reevaluation. If you want to stay right in this space, you have to be curious enough to potentially prove yourself wrong. You have to keep paying attention. For better or worse, that’s science."
"False" and "conspiracy theory" is not an opinion about complex systems and novel situations that you don't agree with. What happened to epistemic humility?
54:00 That's why I write "cuckoo idea". When we make a lecture about "cuckoo ideas" and say "cuckoo idea" all the time we end up making the idea of "cuckoo ideas" more available. Now, imagine when you use a word like "theory" when talking about "cuckoo ideas"?
Obvious bot
I do engage with my brother in order to expose him to information that he is not allowed to seek.
Only a well informed public can make wise decisions.
Which explains why they don't :)
@@ShamanicSavant Because they were not given good advice, or support, early enough, are constantly intimidated, or threatened by those who enjoy being violent, the powerful, the fearmongering elements of politics, that create scapegoats and villains for the masses to despise.
+ family situation, willful ignorance due to poor education/early indoctrination into religion, their peers, personal life experience feelings over facts + prejudice/confirmation bias.
I hope it stops soon. It's damaging my mental health a lot. I worry if this many people are insane, what will happen to the world in the future? Will they win, will they manage to scare everyone away from science? What is going to happen, this is the first time in history we've had access to the internet during a hysteria event and it seems it's just getting worse and worse as we go along. I'm seriously thinking about committing myself because of how unstable and dangerous to others I am now. I never used to be like this but turns out if you encounter stupidity enough it drives you to the brink of destruction
why isn't the date for this easy to find?
I believe false beliefs and conspiracy theories have become so powerful these days because they mostly are the truth if you do the research! It is hard to have trust when you have been lied to for so long about so many things…this is why knowledge is held onto by a relatively small group of unaccountables who tell the truth- but how much of the tribe listens to what they’re saying, planning and doing?
...and at the time there was a huge reaction against the proposed war in Iraq. I know that one because it got me going down the rabbbit hole too!
I got better.
Yes, science is an excellent example of the evolution of human knowledge. Darwin was a genius in my opinion; like C. G. Jung.
Can't provide details, but some of Darwin's theories are currently being reconsidered.
@@cherylanderson3340 As all theories eventually do in any course of scientific advancement. Theoretical Physics is blowing my mind; it's casting scrutiny on some of Newton's and even Einstein's theories.
@@pamlewis1183 Yes, it's important to stay flexible.
@@cherylanderson3340 Questioning and adapting to new knowledge is why science is superior to dogma
@@GB-ez6ge Exactly.
This has been a rather surreal twilight zone episode experience
More like the movie "Idiocracy" :)
Because of the whistling snails of Gazort!!
I got no idea who they are polling, it sure isn't me. But; I gotta believe lots of people are gaming the polls they take part of. I certainly would respond to a poll about elections in way which would turn out the most people to vote as I would. Which would be to say I was planning to vote for the opposition, bulking up the numbers for them to make more people vote my way. Otherwise, if polls showed voting my way was a done deal, less people would get out to vote my way.
I once worked with someone who introduced me to the Flat-Earth theory. I guess I started raising my eyebrows when I realized he was serious. I just find this theory EXTREMELY difficult to even consider!! It just seems to belie empirical experience or the mountain of evidence to the contrary.
You're supposed to, it's designed to discredit ANY alternative theories. It's unfortunate but some people will bite on anything just to be contrarians. What's new is labeling any alternatives to the lies being spewed as conspiracy theories, and anyone considering those theories as dangerous nut cases. These are textbook cult manipulation tactics :)
I am married to a flat-earther. 🙄I gave up on arguing about it a long time ago. I finally told him that neither one of us is planning on leaving earth, so it is a pretty ridiculous argument. I don't care if the earth is really a pyramid, as long as it continues to function the way it is supposed to then it doesn't concern me, besides I was a Biology major, I barely passed my basic high-school level Geometry & Physics then I vowed to never concern myself with math again. I do firmly believe the earth is round-ish, but if the flat-earthers turned out to be right, and were able to prove it, it would not change anything in my life at all. We would all go, "hmmm...weird, I guess you were right"... and then we would go back to living our lives.
Outstanding presentation. 👏 Thanks so much.
Bot
@@ShamanicSavant Bot off
Raise of hands - how many people who are watching this think that presentations about conspiracy theories are meant to create taboos about questioning authority generally? I would much rather hear a lecture about the history of efforts by powerful entities to label legitimate criticism as conspiracy theory.
Also, would the speaker agree that all religions are, by definition, conspiracy theories? Or is the difference that most religions are not dangerous to the status quo, and therefore not labeled as conspiracy theories. The speaker in fact focuses on “harmful” conspiracy theories but never asks “harmful to whom”?
I have a theory of a conspiracy.
I theorize this man wouldn't be allowed to make a lot of money and surely wouldn't be able to have the platform to speak here if he hadn't given up his right to freedom of thought and speech if he didn't just say what's required to be in the Club.
"They're all in the Club,,,
And you ain't in it!"
Carl Sagan
Oh no, Sagan is in the Club. It must've been another Carl.
And I respectfully said all the above just as Dr Joe respectfully has been respectful as possible while being dismissive of anyone that won't just follow the narrative.
Let Freedom Reign!
52:00 Nice one, mate!
(is this an example of confirmation bias on my part?)
I think another factor is "Justification of Loss" or the "I let you win" syndrome. I recently saw an interview with a Chinese badminton player who claimed she intentionally thew her Olympic gold match because the government had "decided" the other player should win, so she had hit the shuttlecock out of bounds and made bad plays "on purpose." It is showing up even in Republican runoff elections with Republicans blaming their loss on election cheating by their own people. It seems people are learning the three year old's "blame game" in order to deal with disappointment instead of looking to improve one's position to deal with loss.
You just defined the whole concept v a false flag operation..lol.
I poke you and point to my enemy..lol
Have the WMDs been found?
43:00 Dan Ariely has an interesting point of view on that subject. Search for "Amanpour Why People act against their own interests Dan Ariely".
Sad thing is, there are politicians in power in DC who peddle this stuff. Namely, trump....
@Down with Corporate Amerika sorry. I read only first sentence lol.
Look how quickly Republican politicians flocked to embrace and spread this poison, just because they believe their political careers will be over. The complete absence of ethics and honesty is shocking.
What about the Russian collusion conspiracy theory? Or the "Institutional racism" conspiracy theory which can't explain why Asians outearn whites or go to jail less than whites?
Looking forward to part 2
Watch any news channel :)
@@ShamanicSavant ah, someone got my sly dig at this presentation finally
Why? Because I lock the doors and they come through the windows!
Maybe some people feel so lonely & insecure they become gullible which makes them easy prey for conspirators to suck them into their cults. They probably find comfort in the craziest of conspiracies giving them a feeling of belonging. I don't know..just guessing again. 🤔
That’s a big part of it. Many refused to take the Covid vaccine because or fear of being ostracized by their social circle. People were showing up to be vaccinated incognito, hoping they wouldn’t be recognized by friends from church. So much disinformation was coming from pastors in far right churches.
Guess again... this time ignoring your media instilled prejudice :)
It is a COP OUT to claim that it is "hard" for human beings to "admit/accept they are "wrong"!
People wearing masks talking about conspiracies.......the irony!
Because they accept reality, and know there is a pathogen around that can make them really sick? You don't know anybody's health situation, or who they have at home that might have delicate health. And it's not really your business if they feel they must still guard against infection. It's nothing to you.
@@argusfleibeit1165 lol. Just put your head in the sand and do as you are told. Good slave. Amz8bg how zombified the masses truly are, so at least yiu have lots if company!
@@argusfleibeit1165 Seriously? It's hilarious to me. You on the other hand need to relax your anal orifice :)
They are blind followers of dogma.
I think Simon & Garfunkel said it best….
@Down with Corporate Amerika lol
@Down with Corporate Amerika A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.
@@exextrovert I thought for sure you meant, "Lie-La-Lie..."
Well? What did they say?
What???? Conspiracies in governments, politics?? How absurd😂. If you believe that I have some swampland in Florida to sell you 😂😂😂
i really liked this video, I am a huge conservative and lean right big time, and conspiracy theorists drive me insane with how they twist misinformation and attempt to make it truth, It involves mostly left leaning but there are many on the right side of politics that believe in conspiracy theories also. But the left leaning political side is so much into conspiracy theories it simply kills me every time i hear one speak.
It's hilarious that you think conspiracy theorists are 'mostly left leaning'.
I appreciate this but it feels like pathologizing facts. "The internet you installed was not real." " Oh, its all in your head". Presumably, because I'm senile.
Showed him the router and all the wires in a pile on the ground. Then showed him the internet working perfectly. He quit 20 minutes later. Due to my pathological lack of trust for which I should be legally liable.
Who are you speaking of?
@@GailColeman Himself? 🤔
What on earth are you talking about?
Looks like the rest replying to you are a little short on reading comprehension. I got both your point and the way in which you made it :)
Thanks for modeling that speaking in public (in this case, the introduction) can be made wearing a mask. Kudos to those who continue to put health and safety first, not to mention consideration for others, by mask wearing. (We're all in this pandemic together vs as ever person for themself!)
The only ones wearing masks at this point are those too stubborn to admit they were wrong :)
I guess the big step will be how to successfully sell the truth online....
A huge problem indeed, especially compounded with targeted disinformation campaigns and the development of AI by the corporations as it is now becoming. people that want a decent, happy, healthy society, nice things for everyone are likely fvckd.
Q was 1st covid was the Petri dish that spread it globally
Briiliant series on BBC sound, Chasing The Storm, that follows the rise of Qanon etc, right back to the suicide of Mark Midddleton in 1990
Well, religion to begin with. Fairy tales tend to mess with everyone’s ability for critical thought.
That's a very ignorant opinion.
There's nothing inherently wrong with religion, what we've been sold as religion however, is reprehensible :)
Calling religious dieatary restrictions a 'cuckoo idea" is an example of why 'cuckoo ideas' are so popular. It shows a complete ignorance about antropology and complete arrogance towardsf different cultural habits. Here's a little story:
I once worked with a Hinduist Indian and since I knew they are vegetarian I asked for a pizza half mozzarella / half pepperoni. I was then surprised when my friend said he could not eat because the mozzarella half came in the same box as the pepperoni half. I then said "but that makes no sense!". My Hinduist friend then told me "it's religion, Mr. Max - it really doesn't make sense".
Hindu, not hinduist. And dietary restriction nonsense IS cuckoo. Religions are cults, all religions, and religious restrictions are cult crap.
He forget to mention 9/11 truther phenomenon that lit the whole thing. Including Alex Jones career.
What about the Russian collusion conspiracy theory?
Truth will always prevail and it doesn't come in "limping" after the lies. Truth comes in like a freight train every single time. The fact you are even still living in California despite not being homeless reflects your current mental state.
It appears he doesn't want to offend anyone. I'm not sure his is from the best field to be analyzing this whole conspiracy area of study in terms of grasping the bigger picture.
The notation of UFO 's on one of the slides maybe would make more sense to have been, "ALIEN SPACECRAFT", since UFO's have been acknowledged for many decade. As to their origin there is no consensus that they are "alien craft".: The real question is one of identification of what exactly they actually are, not whether they exist or not
Adam Riess was wrong, and so 99% of "cosmologists" in past 100 years. Check "Cosmology solved from Einstein to James Webb, to Bob Lazar"
this is hilarious. you guys should do stand up!
I was going to ask if you get paid in rubles but I was informed my comments should always be respectful.
Congrats on all those thumbs up.
You guys sound really informed.
@Jesse Hansen lots of bots here, throwing little one-line insults. It's classic. They sound the same, use the same format, every where you go. Their presence is a signal of nearby truth (whatever they are attacking).
A WORLD WIDE phenomena, how did we GET there?? The UNFETTERED INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!
I just subscribed.
Cause it's the truth duhhhhhh
I blame day-care teachers.
Why are the conspiricys that were espoused in 2020 now coming to fruition? Genuinely interested!
Which ones? 🤔
😆😆😆😆
Such as ???
@@veritas6335 shadow banning, lab Leak, vac will protect, natural immunity, laptop, Pelosi, govt controlling social media, masks, adverse affects, F a u ci patent, Birx book .. nvr tested it was funny how peep believed, vax passport, silence any view,
So the Earth has become flat now?
masked a$$
The subject of this talk - the second one - is so dangerous I never write it substituting the term by "cuckoo ideas".
One observation: every narrative is false in some measure since they are a linearization of a non-linear complex system. We must remember, however, that there are narratives that aim at the truth (or at a truth) and we need these narratives. We must also always remember that these correct narratives often diverse and even divergent. 3rd important to remember: there are aspects of the human experience that cannot be put into a narrative and the best example is the experience of foot soldiers in major wars. (see the first part of "The Living Dead" BBC/Adam Curtis).
Observation: "cuckoo ideas" are part of the US culture since the first settlers and not so aluminum foil hat wearing people held these beliefs like Richard Nixon and District Attorney of Orleans Parish Jim Garrison. In my opinion what caused these cuckoo ideas to get more dangerous - before the internet even - was the discovery, by the US public, about the many CIA conspiracies against foreign governments and foreign leaders. Contributing to that is the weaponizing of 'cuckoo ideas' by the US government - examples are Perception Management during the 80s with the Sandinistas and the spread of information about collaborations between extra-terrestrial visitors and the US government. The spread of the ET/Government collaboration was created to hide things like the B2 bomber.
"Cuckoo Ideas" are, by definition, false. Conspiracies, however, are real. What is surprising to me is how much smart people know about "cuckoo ideas" but have never heard about the Lewis Power Memo.
The Netflix documentary about flat-earthers is excellent, btw!
*Lewis Powell memo
Nothing you write makes any sense. Learn to construct sentences that express logical points, not rambling blather. Mostly, you write gibberish.
F'g bots. Bot disclosure should be the rule :)
@@veritas6335 It's a bot :)
And in the mean time
By his definition of Conspiracy Theory 16:35 (rejects authoritative narrative in favor of explanations involving group of malevolent intent) Tobacco was actually quite healthy in the 1950's and relieved stress. Claiming Tobacco was unhealthy in the 1950's would have been a conspiracy theory. But at some point in the 1980's Tobacco became unhealthy, for no reason. Same for lead, BPA, electroshock therapy, and lithium. This working definition doesn't seem intellectually rigorous and at worst disingenuous. Psychiatry as field today, is not without conflicts of interest (namely pharmaceutical). Do we want psychiatrists defining "conspiracy" in terms of "authority". What are the political consequences of this definition? what incentives does this provide to ethically agnostic corporations? for example, if a pharmaceutical company can define a conspiracy theory based on it's opposition to an authoritative narrative AND that same pharmaceutical company is underwriting that very authoritative narrative, then you have created a systemic conflict of interest, and mechanism for exploitation, oppression, profiteering? Many great insights in this talk, but I don't understand the flippant interjection of this problematic definition. I also don't understand his dismissal of "follow the money". If you compare the money behind pharmaceutical companies (trillions) to any conspiracy propagator (trump the billionaire was motivated by money to spread misinformation?) you can't logically pick the latter as having more to gain --
I know this thinly veiled disdain in every one of these talks, clearly putting the onus of belief in these silly delusions on the individual. Don't get me wrong this speaker was more gentle and placating than most, but the idea that so many act as if conspiracies are imaginary and we who dare doubt the wise, benevolence of our leaders and powerful corporations are clearly struggling with a mental illness...it just boggles my mind. We have had (at least) two presidential administrations caught red-handed in MASSIVE far-reaching conspiracies with international ramifications. We held lengthy, very public trials, heard confessions, and top officials were convicted and served prison sentences. Watergate? Iran Contra? Are we just saying those didn't happen now? ...they did and those who took part were involved in massive conspiracies...but I am sure those were just a few bad apples...🙄
Must wear a mask when standing alone!!
Because he still can't admit he was wrong :)
I find the speaker's constant hand activity like wringing & rubbing together very distracting.
So don't watch, but just listen.
@@gilchasin1022 Just making an observation.
It's a sign he knows he's lying :)
Because evolution: Everybody is your enemy: So where is the truth.
hear him pretty well with a mask on, sucks for him wearing a mask, he's probably insecure about his face, that's a big reason people still mask up, to stay hidden.
You don't know his health situation, or who he has at home who is immune compromised. Don't assume. And what's it to you?
@@argusfleibeit1165 Shut up, we've heard enough from bots today :)
Or because they're too stubborn to admit they were so easily mislead :)