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by derleth
4749 days ago
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> Now shut up and believe what you're told. Nobody is saying this. What they're saying is "apply the same level of skepticism to your pet theories as you do to consensus reality", which is something conspiracy theorists seem incapable of doing. |
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Also, conspiracy theories do not just get counter points. They face sneers and coarse laugh, which are very effective at quickly convincing people who haven't make up their minds yet, though it does alienate conspiracy theorists themselves.
I recall having receiving coarse laughs when talking about cryonics. Many people first believe it's an obvious con job. Which is a rational reaction, by the way (it's expensive, unproven, and appeals to our not wanting to die). I just happen to know a bit more than they do (the nature of identity, the possible progress of science, the possibility for intelligence explosion, and possibly a few more wacky sounding beliefs).
Oh, but that's exactly what your regular "truther" thinks: you don't believe him because you lack the background, you poor ignorant fool! But then, how can we make the difference between the conspiracy theorist and the cryonics advocate?
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By the way, I do think a relatively limited number of powerful people do influence the world in a way that is significant, against the will of most people, and not widely known. Take the monetary system for instance. Put it bluntly, private banks effectively print more money than the public states through tricks that allow them to lend more money than they have (at an interest, of course). Not exactly a conspiracy theory (it's hiding in plain sight, just look up Fractional Reserve Banking), but very close in my opinion.