Journalist specialized in science, a degree in Social Anthropology and Doctor of Sociology, Professor and Researcher at the Rey Juan Carlos University, has dissected in his essay theories of conspiracy, history and society through the prism of the plot, history, characteristics and effects on people and in the society of conspiracy theories and plots, with capital letters and with lowercase.
Perhaps we should start by clarifying what a conspiracy and a conspiracy theory is.
The conspiracies are real, they are actions organized by groups of people to meet, flat and execute actions to achieve certain purposes. That they can be good or bad, it depends on the ends and values of those who carry them out. On the other hand, the theories of conspiracy are explanations without foundation that always refer to real traumatic facts for a sector of the evil population, an scapegoat, which acts in the dark. It is imaginary and are essential to throw balls outside, to evade responsibility.
Do they link directly with misinformation?
Not quite. The theories of conspiracy disinformed, yes. But its goal is to build explanations. The misinformation, on the other hand, is to make lies for true information. Although, also and obviously, there are many conspiracy theories that defore, because they usually mix correct information with false information.
What clear examples of one and the other could put?
To say that COVID vaccines are useless, it is a misinformation. But, to say that they have been created by Rapace Laboratories that intend to enrich themselves to our coast, there we already have a conspiracy theory.
Why do they believe?
Because they are attractive. They mimic scientific theories and meet many people’s needs to explain themselves in a simple way and issues that disturb them, but difficult to understand. Continuing with Covid, it is much easier to say that the virus manufactured in a laboratory than to explain zoonosis. In addition, they release responsibility by blaming an scapegoat. In the case of COVID, the Chinese would be, in general, laboratories, etc. Because those theories do not accept that there may be an accidental or random element. There must always be a human and sinister intention behind all phenomena.
But, it is striking that people who are supposed to be a certain cultural level, information, etc., create them.
It is that we are all exposed to the temptation to believe in them. All at some point in our life we have believed, believe or believe some conspiracy theory. But no one, or almost no one, recognizes it. The other fools are swallowed. That, in communication theory, is called the third person effect.
Is there any easier to identify, or disarm, than others?
The one that says that the man did not reach the moon. Anyone with a minimum of interest can know that it has no basis. Or embankment, which is basically misinformation and lack of scientific knowledge. Those of political content are more difficult. Also more dangerous, because they can be used to pursue minorities, blame all evils to hidden enemies, etc.
All socially harmful.
Of course. A very clear example is AIDS and South Africa. Its president, Thabo Mbeky, believed the conspiracy theory of AIDS, which said that the HIV virus did not cause it and that pharmaceutical laboratories wanted to sell antiretrovirals, and refused to distribute them among the population. The result: thousands of dead and the country in the world with more infected population. And, right now, we have a fanatic anti -Vacunas at the head of the Ministry of Health of the United States Government. That a erroneous, super refuted clinical study has been believed and from which the authors themselves disdain and are convinced that vaccines produce autism, do you know what that will mean for that country? Fortunately, not everyone is fooled and we have seen how in Spain people vaccinated the Covid massively.
Does the denial of climate change have a specific starting point?
The first denials date from 2010. In part, attained by the novelist Michael Crichton, the author of the Jurassic Park, who came to affirm that it is an invention of scientists and environmentalists to achieve funds, control the industry and attack capitalism. He also helped that there were reports prepared by scientists hired by the oil, chemical and nuclear industries, which remained importance to their polluting effects. It was seen that there were scientists who seemed to prostitute themselves and harmed public confidence in science.
How to combat that distrust in science, climate denialism and conspiracy theories?
It does not have an easy and fast solution. Education has a very important role; Likewise, scientific and environmental journalism and information verifiers do a fundamental task. But, no matter how much it is done, to those who see life in a key to conspiracy there is no way to convince them. You can succeed with those around them, who are likely to believe but doubt, those who say “well, I am not conspiracy, but …».