Conspiracy Theories: A Guide to the World's Most Intriguing Mysteries

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Are the core beliefs of classical liberalism—namely the rights of all individuals and constraints on state power—still protected by law? Part of why we think that is because our levels of trust in those in power has plummeted in recent years. Misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories influence our minds, polarize societies and decrease trust. In Roman society, where knowledge about others was often lacking and stereotypes dominated, conspiracy theory explained how the world worked. What Shermer's book does is delve into the reasons why we are so ready to believe that, to borrow a phrase from perhaps the ultimate conspiracy theory work of culture, the X-Files: The Truth is Out There.

Probing conspiracy theory's tendencies toward scapegoating, racism, and fascism, as well as Hofstadter's centrist acceptance of a postwar American "consensus," he advocates what conspiracy theory wants but cannot articulate: a more inclusive, engaging political culture.

Conspiracy Theory in America investigates how the Founders’ hard-nosed realism about the likelihood of elite political misconduct—articulated in the Declaration of Independence—has been replaced by today’s blanket condemnation of conspiracy beliefs as ludicrous by definition. Her writing is always insightful and prescient, and this book from 2019 offers readers deep insight into what’s been happening to this country in the last decade.

This is a risky choice because the author is my old university colleague and later television writing partner, to whom I’ve been married for 41 years.The crisis threatens the integrity of our democracies, our ability to cultivate trusting relationships, even our physical and psychological well-being-yet most attempts to combat it have proven insufficient.

It not only showcases distinct conspiracies across global sites and time periods, but also petitions readers to examine their own investments in conspiratorial thinking. From secret societies to aliens and assassinations, decode history's greatest cover ups with 'The Big Book of Conspiracy Theories'. Religious Dimensions of Conspiracy Theories contributes to the study of conspiracy culture by analysing the religious and esoteric dimensions of conspiracy theories. Fenster shines a powerful light on the fantasies of secrecy that pervade American culture, illuminating both the way they originate and how they work.

This engaging book will be an important read for anyone concerned about the future direction of American politics, as well as anyone who's watched friends or family fall into patterns of conspiratorial thinking. This book presents an important resource for students and scholars from a range of disciplines interested in the societal and political impact of conspiracy theories, including Area Studies, Anthropology, History, Media and Cultural Studies, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology. Conspiracies succeed thanks to repetition, and Shermer's numerous examples prove how entrenched these beliefs are within contemporary American culture. In Russia, conspiracy theories about ‘the West’ are used as the basis for ‘political campaigns aimed at legitimising the regime’ (Ilya Yablokov, 369). I've founded several online initiatives, written extensively, and given talks around the concept of a post-money, open access economy.