…share qualities outlined succintly on Conspiracy theorists and free software by Bruce Byfield on WordPress (2 January 2008). As you will see, he is interested in one particular area, but his outline of "symptoms" applies rather widely. In summary:
- An obsession about a single person, corporation, or issue to the exclusion of everything else.
- Extreme paranoia directed at the object of the obsession.
- An either / or mindset: "…Key phrases: ‘There can be no truce with [insert object of obsession here]’ and ‘Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.’
- An inability to summarize other viewpoints with any accuracy: "Convinced that they are on the right side, the average conspiracy theorist is either unable or unwilling to report other people’s ideas with any accuracy. Instead, they seem to report what they imagine others are saying, or is convenient to believe that others are saying."
- A refusal to modify opinions, even in light of new evidence.
- The use of decontextualized evidence.
- A refusal to consider alternate explanations.
- A lack of civility and a quickness to give and take offense.
- A disregard for the rules of evidence.
- A scattergun approach to evidence: "Instead of building up an argument point by point, conspiracy theorists tend to bury you in a random collection of related facts. They can take this approach, because their obsession causes them to have hundred of points ready at any given point. But instead of the rational building of an argument, the result is not logical persuasion, but an impressionistic, often highly emotional view of the situation."
- A lack of self-reflection.
Great stuff, Bruce; reminds me of some bloggers I’ve read too.
Floating Life 