When we believed that the number of conspiracy theories could no longer grow, the current COVID-19 pandemic It has allowed us to reach ends that tread directly into surrealism: 5G, nanobots, lethal injections to elderly people in nursing homes, that the virus has been designed, that the virus does not exist...
The divulger Rocio Vidal, known as Schrödinger's cat on YouTube, for example, was surrounded by a group of these conspiracy theorists in a way reminiscent of medieval times.
Is it in our genes?
Our brain seems to be wired to give invented or fabulous explanations to supernatural issues because we do not like uncertainty: we prefer to fill the gaps of ignorance with myths. However, Why are things that are already perfectly explained distorted, complicated, and one has to look for trouble?
Are we genetically inclined to superstition or simply afraid of the truth? In the following video, Michio Kaku, Michael Shermer, Bill Nye and others explain why some people believe conspiracy theories and others don't.
From secret societies to fake moon landings, one thing humanity seems to have an endless supply of is conspiracy theory. In this compilation, physicist Michio Kaku, science communicator Bill Nye, psychologist Sarah Rose Cavanagh, skeptic Michael Shermer, and actor and playwright John Cameron Mitchell consider the nature of truth and why some groups believe what they do.
'I think there is a gene for superstition, a gene for rumors, a gene for magic, a gene for magical thinking,' Kaku argues.. The theoretical physicist says science goes against 'natural thinking' and that the superstition gene persists because, one in ten times, it actually worked and saved our lives.
Other shared theories include the idea of cognitive dissonance, the dangerous power of fear to inhibit critical thinking, and the romanticization of Hollywood conspiracies. Because conspiracy theories are so diverse and multifaceted, combating them has not been an easy task for science..
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The news
Michio Kaku, Michael Shermer and Bill Nye explain to us in this video why we tend to believe conspiracy theories
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.