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78 Link Between Conspiracies and Creationism

There’s a psychological link

between conspiracy theories

and creationism

Stephan Lewandowsky

Ask a three-year-old why they think it’s raining,
and she may say “because the flowers are
thirsty”. Her brother might also tell you that
trees have leaves to provide shade for people
and animals. These are instances of teleological
thinking, the idea that things came into being
and exist for a purpose.
The new study from the University of
Fribourg, published in Current Biology,
provides evidence that links teleological
thinking, conspiracy theories and the rejection
of scientific facts about evolution. Perhaps more that makes teleological thinking and further. It suggests that creationism itself could
than any other well-established scientific conspiratorial thought so attractive. In everyday be seen as a belief system involving the ultimate
finding, evolution has been in constant combat life, assigning intentions often makes perfect conspiracy theory: the purposeful creation of all
with misperceptions arising from teleological sense. If someone asks you why your daughter things. []
thinking. In fact, teleological reasoning is so turned on the TV, it may be perfectly accurate
pervasive that there is much evidence that it and appropriate to reply with “because her Did You Know.….
impairs people’s ability to learn the concept of favourite show is on now”. But giving such a Conspiracy Theories
natural selection in the first place. presumed purpose to trees, clouds and other
It is tempting to think that giraffes natural phenomenon can produce false
needed long necks to reach leaves at the top of understanding. 1. Psychologists say the best predictor for
the trees, and so evolution provided them with There is much evidence that people are someone believing a conspiracy theory is
those long necks. This teleological notion is in enthralled by teleological thinking and have belief in other theories, even if they're
conflict with the fact that natural selection had difficulty leaving it behind. One study showed contradictory. Researchers at the University
no such goal in mind. There was natural that even scientists, when put under time of Kent in England found that survey
variation in the population and those animals pressure, lapse into teleological thinking that respondents who believed that Osama bin
with longer necks had greater reproductive they would reject if given more time, being more Laden died long before the U.S. Navy SEAL
success in an environment with tall trees. So the likely to endorse statements such as “germs attack in May 2011 were actually more
giraffe evolved and longer necks became mutate in order to become drug resistant” likely to also agree with the theory that he
standard. (though still far less likely to do so than a was still alive.
The Fribourg researchers conducted community sample of participants). Another 2. The Illuminati was a Bavarian secret
three studies with more than 2,000 participants study found that when students are put in a society founded by Adam Weishaupt in the
overall. Echoing previous studies, the findings situation in which they lack control, they readily late 18th century that was extinguished
showed that teleological thinking was associated resort to perceiving conspiracies and developing within a few years. Or was it? Conspiracy
with the rejection of evolution and the superstitions. theorists believe the Illuminati remains alive
acceptance of its pseudo-scientific alternative, People who believed in creationism also and is bent on world conquest. It's certainly
creationism. But the researchers also showed a tended to believe in conspiracy theories, bent on domination of book lists, with Dan
strong association between creationism and regardless of their religious or political beliefs. Brown's novels as best-sellers, and other
conspiracism. Conspiracism was also associated with authors offering such titles as "Hip-Hop
Teleological explanations for natural teleological thinking. This confirms that seeking Illuminati: How and Why the Illuminati
phenomena are rejected by scientists because purpose in random events, such as the death of Took Over Hip-Hop" and "Mary Todd
these explanations appeal to intentions. But trees Princess Diana in a drink-driving accident, or Lincoln and the Illuminati." Then there's the
do not grow leaves and rain clouds do not drop natural phenomena such as rain clouds or the video "Die America Die!: The Illuminati
water with an outcome in mind. It rains because necks of giraffes, reflects a common underlying Plan to Murder America, Confiscate Its
of physics. And those physics would apply way of thinking. Wealth, and Make Red China Leader of the
equally if there were no flowers or any other life New World Order."
3. A "false flag" operation occurs when a
on the planet. Why we deny science
Take teleology one step further, and you group or country conducts an attack that is
then blamed on another group or country.
get Donald Trump, who thinks that global
These new results mesh well with other research The burning of Germany's parliament
warming is an invention of the Chinese to make
that has linked conspiracism to science denial building in 1933 was blamed on
US manufacturing non-competitive. There is
across so many domains. Conventionally, the communists, providing justification for a
growing evidence that indulging in conspiracy
use of conspiracy theories to reject scientific Nazi crackdown. Historians are split on
theories predisposes people to reject scientific
accounts has been explained as a way to avoid whether the Nazis actually torched the
findings, from climate change to vaccinations
accepting an inconvenient truth. building or just took advantage afterward.
and AIDS. And researchers have now found that
A chain smoker who is confronted with But there's no doubt about a Nazi false flag
teleological thinking also links beliefs in
frightening information about his habit might operation six years later: A German radio
conspiracy theories and creationism.
find it easier to accuse the medical establishment station was attacked by Nazis dressed in
Teleological and conspiratorial thought
of being an oligopolistic cartel than to quit Polish uniforms, a raid cited by Adolf Hitler
share a number of features in common. Core to
smoking. Likewise, people who feel threatened as one reason for the invasion of Poland,
both ways of thinking is the act of giving things
by climate mitigation, for example because it which set off World War II.
a purpose. Flowers supposedly produce
might raise the cost of petrol, may be more 4. "Occam's Razor" is a principle attributed to
delightful perfume in order to attract pollinators,
willing to think that Al Gore created a hoax than 14th-century friar William of Ockham. It
and climate scientists supposedly invent a hoax
to accept 150 years of research into basic states that when there are a variety of
known as climate change at the behest of the
physics. explanations, the simplest one is often the
“world government” or George Soros.
The new study takes the role of correct one. But a conspiracy theorist might
It is this emphasis on assigning purpose
conspiratorial thought in creationism a step respond: That's what they want you to think.