Suspicious Minds

We're all conspiracy theorists. Some of us just hide it better than others. Conspiracy theorists do not wear tin-foil hats (for the most part). They are not just a few kooks lurking on the paranoid fringes of society with bizarre ideas about shape-shifting reptilian aliens running society in secret. They walk among us. They are us. Everyone loves a good conspiracy. The plots of countless Hollywood blockbusters, bestselling books, and beloved TV shows revolve around conspiratorial shenanigans. And surprising numbers of people believe that the kinds of vast, insidious conspiracies that Mulder and Scully routinely unearthed in The X-Files are happening right now in the real world. Yet conspiracy theories are not a recent invention. And they are not always a harmless curiosity. In Suspicious Minds, Rob Brotherton explores the history and consequences of conspiracism, and delves into the research that offers insights into why so many of us are drawn to implausible, unproven and unproveable conspiracy theories. These resonate with some of our brain's built-in quirks and foibles, and tap into some of our deepest desires, fears, and assumptions about the world. But conspiracy theories are by no means unique in eliciting our brain's biases. From our love of heroic underdogs to our tendency to see a hidden hand behind ambiguous events, the same mental quirks that make conspiracy theories appealing constantly shape how we think about the world. Of course, just because your brain's biased doesn't always mean you're wrong. Sometimes conspiracies are real. Sometimes, paranoia is prudent. Clearly written and with liberal use of humor and numerous examples from scholarly research, this title provides a valuable look at why conspiracy theories abound and why we should continually assess our thinking. -- Richard Maxwell 9/1Introduction. Down the Rabbit Hole Chapter 1. The Age of Conspiracy Chapter 2. What's the Harm? Chapter 3. What is a Conspiracy Theory? Chapter 4. Conspiracy Minded Chapter 5. The Paranoid Fringe Chapter 6. I Want to Believe Chapter 7. (Official) Stories Chapter 8. Connect the Dots Chapter 9. Intention Seekers Chapter 10. Proportion Distortion Chapter 11. I Knew It Epilogue. Only Human