08 Red card for the mindfuck: how to escape conspiracy theories

As soon as a conspiracy theory starts circulating, intuition and common sense seem to switch off. Are you one of those people who want to escape the mindfuck? Then find out here at peterf139.sg-host.de what conspiracy theories are all about and how you can best escape them.

Conspiracy theories: As old as mankind

"All conspiracy theory is gray, dear friend, and the golden tree of life is green", as the prince of poets Goethe already knew in his masterpiece Faust I. Almost, because the little word conspiracy theory was added later. Which shouldn't be a problem, because after all, the Church took all kinds of appropriate poetic liberties when translating the New Testament into Latin.
This prime example shows how important it is to recognize whether a conspiracy theory is relevant or not.
Conspiracy theories are as old as mankind itself. In the Middle Ages, the Jews were the scapegoat and the Nazis ended up turning it into a state-imposed conspiracy theory with terrible consequences.
Real conspiracies are to be distinguished from this. Prominent examples: The Roman Emperor Caesar fell victim to a conspiracy in 44 BC, Watergate, the Ku Klux Klan and the Iran-Contra affair.

Spectacular assumptions make a conspiracy theory successful

From a purely scientific point of view, a theory is a halfway proven hypothesis. This means that there must be at least some reliable evidence. The famous spark of truth, so to speak.
The conspiracy theory, however, does not work with evidence, but with assumptions that have to be as spectacular as possible. This guarantees that even the incomprehensible will be believed and spread endlessly around the globe. Actual conspiracies are also readily used. Unanswered questions then lead to the development of conspiracy theories.
Who knows what exactly happened on the steps of the Senate with Caesar or during the assassination of JFK? The lack of evidence is quickly explained away by the conspiracy theorists. After all, documents and other incriminating materials were destroyed in order to cover up a scandal.
It follows that conspiracy theories do not need evidence, but are based on assertions. If these are remotely plausible, the supporters of the conspiracy theory gain a very special view of the world in which important political and economic decisions are made in a shadowy zone, unnoticed by the public.

The very idea gives power to a conspiracy theory

Most political decisions are made behind closed doors anyway. Many things are only revealed decades later - such as the overthrow of the Iranian government by the USA. Even of the obvious things, most people only know a small part. That's a good thing, because who wants to know all the gruesome details? But it is precisely these small building blocks that the supporters of conspiracy theories bite into and drag everything into the light of day. The world is divided into good and evil, assumptions are confirmed by postings on social media or YouTube videos. The mere idea that these bad things could have happened is enough to prove them true.
There is even a scientific name for this, the "Othello syndrome". Mental training also makes use of the fact that visual imagery is often enough to create facts, such as one's own success. One's own experience in the imagination then becomes a powerful inspiration. This explains why conspiracy theories seem plausible and are so popular, but not how they can be analyzed.

What do conspiracy theories actually have to do with you?

The moon landing was a fake, Elvis and Lady Di are still alive and Paul McCartney has died and his doppelganger is on the road? Assuming these claims are true, what impact would this have on your life? Probably none, and that's the fine line between conspiracy theory and entertainment. So what can you do if you come across a conspiracy theory?

1. Ask yourself how much influence you think this conspiracy theory has on your life: For example, what specifically does it have to do with you if aliens are walking around on our planet?
2. Decide for yourself whether there is a connection between the conspiracy theory and the things you care about. Typical topics would be the vaccination debate or nutrition.
3. Clarify your position on the subject.
4. Only deal with topics that have a real impact on your life.

Would you like to know how you can deal with important topics in a meaningful way and escape the mindfuck? Then listen to the next episode! I would be delighted if you would share your experience of conspiracy theories with me.
Let me know what you think here on geistesbiltzen.de by using the comment function. I am curious!