How to tell if a conspiracy theory is probably false
Look closely at allegations of massive conspiracies. Boris Zhitkov/Moment via Getty Images
The Conversation
Conspiracy theories are everywhere, and they can involve just about anything.
People believe false conspiracy theories for a wide range of reasons – including the fact that there are real conspiracies, like efforts by the Sackler family to profit by concealing the addictiveness of oxycontin at the cost of countless American lives.
The extreme consequences of unfounded conspiratorial beliefs could be seen on the staircases of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the self-immolation of a protestor outside the courthouse holding the latest Trump trial.
But if hidden forces really are at work in the world, how is someone to know what’s really going on?
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