Examining+Conspiracy+Theories

=**Examining Conspiracy Theories - Stroudsburg High School Library Resources**=

Examining conspiracy theories is an interesting way to learn about the workings of the human mind. It is also a good way to learn how to construct--and deconstruct--an argument. Most of all, by engaging in this kind of activity you can develop your skills as a **critical thinker**.


 * One of the most interesting characteristics of people who believe in conspiracy theories is they refute or deny information provided by experts in the field, while embracing information from anyone (especially other conspiracy believers) that supports the conclusion they have __already decided__ is true.


 * Unlike a good scientist or researcher, who forms a theory only after scrutinizing the entire range of data, conspiracy theorists form their theory first--based on a limited amount of information--and then selectively include or exclude facts in order to support their theory. For example, the "Loose Change" producers completely ignore [|items like this].


 * Conspiracy proponents are often not experts in the field they form their theories about. An expert would be someone with a PhD in the field, or at least a Masters degree. __Experts publish numerous articles in peer-reviewed academic journals__, where their research is investigated and confirmed by other experts.


 * These days it is easy to look like an expert on the Internet. Check the background and credentials of the theorist.

Some of the most popular conspiracy theories are:" the 9/11 attacks were carried out by the American government," "the Moon landing was a hoax," and "(You fill in the blank) killed John F. Kennedy." There are many more to investigate...and many on the way.


 * **When investigating a conspiracy theory please keep this in mind:** if you get all of your information online, you will NEVER get the full story. Books, magazines, and scientific investigations by academic experts provide often information that is not online. The Internet only contains approximately 30% of the world's information. Google, the most popular search engine, only searches about 30% of the total amount online. So if you use only Google to pursue your investigation, you are not accessing a great deal of additional information. No scholar would ever use only Google to research a topic.


 * In order to access the additional information you must use libraries and get into primary source research: interviews, documents, and physical evidence. You must also understand the shortcomings with various sources of information. For example, eyewitness testimony is often unreliable. Also, eyewitnesses (as well as experts) can be biased.


 * It takes patience, persistence, and objectivity to be a scholar.

Below are some links to pages explaining the most common characteristics of conspiracy theories and the people who believe in them.

 * **Questions to keep in mind about the people who advance these theories**, particularly those you see on television or who have websites:
 * How does the individual stand to gain from the attention __they__ receive as someone who supposedly knows the "truth?"
 * Does the proponent of the theory have a vested interest in perpetuating the theory?
 * How does the argument of the conspiracy theorist check out when compared with accepted scientific theories agreed upon by thousands of people worldwide?
 * How many people would have to be in on the scheme in order to pull it off?

__Links__
[|Questions to test a conspiracy theory]

[|Conspiracy Theory Logical Fallacies]

[|Detailed treatment of conspiracy theories from Wikipedia]