It seems that humans have an inherent tendency for conspiracy thinking, although some have more of a tendency than others. However, we shouldn’t think that conspiracy thinking is restricted to a few crazy people. Keeping on the lookout for genuine conspiracies is important, which is partly why conspiracy thinking persists. By examining extreme conspiracy theories, we hope to identify those patterns of thought and cognitive traps that we all fall into to a lesser degree. Being familiar with grand conspiracies will also help us identify more subtle flaws in our day-to-day reasoning.

To some extent, we all have a little conspiracy theorist inside each of us; the notion that dark and powerful forces are working against our interest grips our attention and can seem very compelling. This is, in fact, an adaptive trait, such as anxiety, for example. It is useful in moderate amounts but is counterproductive and even debilitating when extreme. While there are certainly conspiracies in the world, conspiracy thinking can be a cognitive trap that is easy to fall into but very difficult to get out of.

Suggested Reading: “The Conspiracy Meme” by Ted Goertzel, Skeptical Inquirer Volume 35.1, January/February 2011


Norther, Ph.D, is an advent conspiracy theorist in Lowyat Forum. He has the ability, in his own view, to see the conspiracy for what it is. His tendency to detect a conscious agent behind natural or random behavior or events enables him to read between the lines and recognize the hand of the conspirators at work. He has also started many topics in advance technology, nuclear energy, quantum physics, genetics, astronomy, and ancient civilizations. He received his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from University. He is currently most active in Kopitiam and PhD School, with a total Cumulative Posts of 132.

Below are the three Grand Conspiracy Theories discussed by Dr. Norther in the PhD School section:

1. Mars Colonies (Mar 21 2012, 03:25 PM) — He provided evidence that suggests Life on Mars, Mariner Valleys, Earth Base Eve, Colonization of Cydonia (region of Mars), as confirming the conspiracy.

2. Extraterrestrial Advance Technology (Mar 30 2012, 09:23 PM) — He presented a range of hypotheses of Space Aliens UFO Technology with Mind Control ability over humans.

3. Secrets of Antigravity Propulsion (Mar 30 2012, 09:55 PM) — He shared Dr. Paul LaViolette’s works on the secret knowledge of Antigravity Propulsion unknown by others about the Electrokinetic Propulsion Technology in Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and the Sightings of Black triangle (UFO).

Many people are under this category.

I wonder how Keanu's conspiracy came about

Luckily I'm more of a skeptical type of person. Haha

Life itself is a conspiracy.

The big man against the little guy. Most people have bought into that concept lock, stock, and barrel. A woe is me because I am helpless against the machine, kind of thing. For those who are trapped in those self-fulfilling mind gears, they make it real. For themselves that is.

(1) Almost as if conspiracy theories are a form of pattern recognition. It appears that a conspiracy theory is a pattern imposed upon disconnected events. And while you wonder that, I want you to discover that conspiracy thinking is the cognitive form of pareidolia. Essentially, conspiracy theorists connect the imagined dots between disconnected events and see an invisible hand operating behind the scenes. For example, on July 25, 1976, low-resolution images taken by NASA Viking 1 Orbiter showed a particular formation on the surface of Mars in the Cydonia region that vaguely resembled a human face, especially when it suggested the illusion of eyes, nose and mouth.



(2) Subsequently, on April 8, 2001, more than 20 years after the Viking 1 images were taken, high-resolution images of the same area taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor showed a detailed analysis of multiple images of this normal geological formation reveals a natural looking Martian hill whose illusory face-like appearance depends on the viewing angle and angle of illumination.



(3) However, when the images were published in 1977, the Cydonia facial pareidolia inspired individuals like Norther, most notably Richard C. Hoagland, interested in extraterrestrial intelligence and visitations to Earth. He claims “the Face” is part of a city built on Cydonia Planitia along with other features he believes are present, such as apparent pyramids and mounds, which he argues are part of a ruined city, arranged in a geometric pattern, with the ratios between measured angles roughly equaling mathematical constants such as π (pi), e, and the square root of 2.



(4) To Hoagland, this is evidence of a long-lost advanced Martian civilization, and a conspiracy that NASA is suppressing the evidence for reasons explained in the Brookings Report entitled “Proposed Studies on the Implications of Peaceful Space Activities for Human Affairs.” And you probably will be surprised at Wayne Herschel, author of The Hidden Records, attempts to prove the star correlation through comparative measurement between all the stars of the Pleiades and all the anomalies in the Mars pyramids cluster in Cydonia. It presents a perfectly geometry adjusted layout, altered fractionally not to make it a poor correlation, but ever so slightly adjusted to suggest it is constructed by advanced perfectionist beings—human ancestors. Herschel further illustrates how both the Cydonia complex and Washington D.C. mirror a star map of the Pleiades Star Cluster.

There are various cognitive traps that conspiracy thinking falls into. One is Confirmation Bias, which involves the tendency to see all evidence as confirming the conspiracy. Any bit of evidence can be cast in a sinister light. Therefore, ambiguous and even negative evidence tends to reinforce the conspiracy theorists’ certainty and confidence in their conspiracy after awhile. This is a self-reinforcing effect that makes conspiracy theorists incredibly resistant to change, as we can see in Dr. Norther’s Mars Colonies.

Conspiracy theorists often commit to what is called the Fundamental Attribution Error, which is the tendency to blame other people’s behavior on internal, rather than situational, factors. Conspiracy theorists tend to think that all actions and outcomes are deliberate and intended. They ignore or downplay the quirky nature of history and of individual action, refusing to believe that people may be innocently responding to a situation rather than deliberately orchestrating every detail. For these reasons and others, the conspiracy theory tends to become immune to refutation, as we can see in Dr. Norther’s Secrets of Antigravity Propulsion.

I presume it is a very primal animalistic thing. It isn't much different from the belief of God. Much of what you talk about also can be correlated to God and religion. Conspiracy theorists and God believers have one thing in common... to answer the big questions, they come up with the most convoluted and complicated answer. This completely breaks the scientific rule of Occam's Razor.

However Ockham’s Razor does not guarantee that the simplest theory will be correct − it merely establishes priorities. Therefore, in the scientific method, Ockham’s Razor is not considered an irrefutable principle of logic or a scientific result.

In the 14th century, William of Ockham proposed the principle of Ockham’s Razor (though he did not invent this "razor"), which he stated as: Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate. This can be translated as: Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily. In other words, ‘keep it simple’.

Similarly, conspiracy theories are made for our imagination to breathe life into them.

If there's a subject of PHD regarding this offered in Malaysia, i would be the first to register.

Then what should you think? And who should you believe? Ultimately, could you be deceiving yourself? By just noticing, these are central questions that all critical thinkers of any age must frequently ask themselves. You'll discover there is no more important skill in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in a way that is both effective and responsible. Now of course I don't know for sure what you're experiencing, but Critical Thinking will transform you from a passive member of society into an active participant in the ideas and issues of the day. It empowers you to better understand nearly every single aspect of everyday life, from health and nutrition to science and technology to philosophical and spiritual belief systems.

What's more in GE13? The fact at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. And it appears that information is literally everywhere around you; in newspapers and magazines, on the radio and television, and across the Internet. But you wouldn't mind noticing as the amount of information out there increases, so too does the amount of misinformation. Therefore, the awareness that you've gained today is more important than ever before to become a better critical thinker; someone who can analyze and construct arguments and arrive at more sound, more informed opinions.

Conspiracy Thinking is originally studied under the subdiscipline of Neuroscience, called Cognitive Neuroscience. If you are really interested or you want to become a Cognitive Neuroscientist, you can find out more info about the Psychology programs MPhil/PhD offered by The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.

Well i was hoping a simple answer but nvm. Btw, what you propose is not exactly what im looking for. What i meant was, literally, the subject was about all the Conspiracy - Pyramid, Atlantis, The inner Earth, Illuminati, The two brothers, Nazi Reverse Tech, Hitler covered life after WW2, Satan and his four Generals, The Blue People, Dark Side of The Moon, Mars Life Exixtence, Earth Age: Thousands of years old, Dinasours still living among us, The Nephilim, The ringing sound on earth inner core, The 13 Family that rule above the Global 500, Rothchild Origins, Temple of Solomon, Israel, and so on.

I know, after looking all the topic, there will be no lecturer that brave enough to take these chance to cover and teach em in public. that's what i mean by no such thing in the world would offer unless the class are Illuminated.

This post has been edited by ridox_orimabu: May 7 2013, 05:30 PM