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Conspiracy Theories

Sep 08, 2015
by Caroline Miller
Ask the Brains, Carol Anshaw, Christopher Finch, death of John F. Kennedy, Libor scandal
2 Comments

I wrote, recently, about a dress that appeared to be blue and black to some people but gold and white to others. (Blog 7/17/2015) Initially, the cause for the difference in perception was charged to how light waves hit the retina. But, not so fast. Other researchers suspect the difference is based on the assumption the brain makes about the light source, whether it’s direct sunlight or the reflection off a blue sky. In other words, we interpret the dress’s color depending upon what our brain brings to the table. Like the theme of my novel, Trompe l’Oeil, reality seems to be a construct of the mind’s interaction with the external world.  

 The brain’s assumptions also explain why some people are more prone to conspiracy theories than others. A few of my friends are so afflicted, they see a government plot in the falling of a leaf. I listen to their theories, patiently, nod and then turn back to my mundane life. Some folks, I guess, need an adrenalin high which makes them certain evil is “out there,” somewhere.

Of course, no one with an ounce of sanity would deny the presence of evil. This morning I read about the wholesale murder of destitute children in Brazil; the bludgeoning to death of a 13-year old boy accused of stealing in Pakistan; and a series of random shootings that killed one woman in San Francisco. (The Week, July 24, 2015, pg. s 6, 7, 14.)   The world, including its geology, is a violent place. But conspiracies are hard to create, harder to pull off and harder, still, to keep secret. Edward Snowden and other whistle blowers are evidence of that.

So why do conspiracy theories abound? Science’s conclusion is that, like the dress of differing colors, conspiracies are a consequence of the way the brain operates. To help us survive, it looks for patterns. Patterns are a way of organizing information and making comparisons. Without patterns, we’d be paralyzed by a blur of information with no way to process it. In addition, “We all have a natural inclination to give more weight to evidence that supports what we already believe and ignore evidence that contradicts our belief.” (“Ask the Brains,” by Christopher Finch,  Scientific American Mind, July/August, 2015 pg. 72.) The debate on climate change is a classic example of how minds can weigh the same evidence yet draw different conclusions. Lastly, we suffer from a “proportionality bias.” (Ibid. pg. 72) We want to believe that big events have big causes. Theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy will never die because it’s difficult to believe one man with one gun took down the leader of the United States.

 Not all conspiracies are false, of course. The Libor scandal is a good example of how key banks conspired to manipulate interest rates. (Click) Nonetheless, some people gravitate to such theories faster than others. Science has no explanation for the difference except to state the obvious: “some individuals tend to find such theories attractive,” (Ibid pg. 72)

 Like writer Carol Anshaw, I’m a firm believer in one conspiracy theory, at least: I’m never sure who I’m writing for, or who’s reading me, but I definitely see myself in a conspiracy with my readers.

Inspector Clouseau

Inspector Clouseau, courtesy of www.quoteinsta.com

 

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2 Comments
  1. John Briggs September 8, 2015 at 2:42 pm Reply
    Caroline, I'm not sure that we should accept the modern scientific view (not held by all scientists) that the mind is a shadowbox, albeit one we often use successfully to avoid walking over cliffs. As you suggest, modern science contributes some important things but is not very good at explaining consciousness, meaning, or purpose, which are arguably much more than projections of our material natures, our delusions, and our selfish genes. In method and concept, modern science tends to be dedicated to reducing the world to a mechanism -- a very sophisticated and materially effective mechanism, but a machine nonetheless. At one despairing point in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet calls his body a machine, as though his very nature might be nothing but mechanical. But we somehow sense when he says it that he is far more than any material reduction could be. His story deeply disturbs and inspires us. If we get in the trap of assuming that our magnificent, flawed natures are what's left after science explains the rest, we're playing a losing game. Hamlet is searching for truth, which may or may not include a revelation from beyond. He's not sure, and as a consequence we have Shakespeare's dramatic provocation. --John Briggs
    • Caroline Miller September 8, 2015 at 5:18 pm Reply
      I agree with you entirely. I prefer that our little grey cells retain a bit of their mystery. Science would have our heads upon a platter and say our thoughts are no great matter. Boo to that.

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Contact Caroline at

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Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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