/oss/taxonomy/term/5231/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking/belief-conspiracy-theories-probably-not-getting-worse-over-time <p>A question I am often asked by journalists is if more people believe in conspiracy theories now than before. Sometimes, the question is not even asked; the answer is simply inferred. Of course they are.</p> <p>Even I often feel like it must be true. The COVID-19 pandemic has a twin, an infodemic, which often relies on grand conspiracy theories to be believable. We have all heard the stories that a shadowy “they” don’t want you to know that ivermectin is miraculous and that the vaccines, funded by Bill Gates, are full of tracking devices.</p> Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:46:51 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9194 at /oss /oss/article/pseudoscience/qanons-adrenochrome-quackery <p>“There’s only one source for this stuff, the adrenalin glands from a living human body.” That bit of misinformation found in Hunter. S Thompson’s 1971 psychedelic classic, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” likely planted the seed that grew into one of the most outlandish and repugnant of all conspiracy theories. That would be the ludicrous QAnon claim that Hollywood celebrities and “liberal elite” politicians are kidnapping children to harvest their blood.</p> Thu, 10 Feb 2022 20:17:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9021 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/zen-and-art-talking-conspiracy-theorists <p>Imagine if a close family member told you your romantic partner was a bad match for you. Not only is your loving partner being criticized, but you feel personally attacked as well. If your relative is right in their assessment, how likely are you to listen to them? Wouldn’t you rather fight back?</p> Thu, 25 Feb 2021 18:21:39 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8634 at /oss