OMG It's a conspiracy!

But that's also why the original saying is "Not everything is always as it seems." The *always* is placed there, because otherwise it would be saying that nothing is as it seems.

To refine my statement of things are as they seem, conspiracy theories almost always fail Occam's Razor.

People feel the need for big events to have equally big explanations. People have a hard time coping with how the security of their lives could instantly be unraveled by something so small and simple as, for instance, a lone gunman nobody or foreign terrorists armed with only box knives; they think, oh yes, there was some underlying system, some conspiracy, which guided the process along. There is in fact a good body of evidence which suggests people who tend to believe in conspiracy theories tend to have what psychologists call an external locus of control; they feel life happens to them rather than by their proactively leading their lives where they want, which would explain why conspiracy theories tend to run rampant amongst the economically disadvantaged, ethnic minorities, teenagers, and criminals. Whereas skeptics of conspiracies tend to have an internal locus of control.

Best regards.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oh My High

Semantically speaking, in the strict sense, almost all conspiracy theories are not actually theories. Theory is a scientific term which means â??a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena.â?� Ergo, conspiracy theories are merely only conspiratorial guesses. Watergate and ENRON were conspiracy theories because there was actual evidence, but conspiratorial theories surrounding JFK and the moon landing "hoax" are merely unsubstantiated guesses, for example.

Not to make a point, but I just wanted to that off my chest. Now to make my point:

For every historical event, there seemingly is always a corresponding conspiracy theory (by the looser sense of the word). This notion that events were not what they seem and are caused by secret alternative explanations is bullshit. By and large, with rare exceptions, things happen exactly how they seem. To quote historian Bruce Cumings: "But if conspiracies exist, they rarely move history; they make a difference at the margins from time to time, but with the unforeseen consequences of a logic outside the control of their authors: and this is what is wrong with 'conspiracy theory.' History is moved by the broad forces and large structures of human collectivities."

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
the·o·ry /ˈθiəri, ˈθɪəri/ Pronunciation Key [thee-uh-ree, theer-ee]
â??noun, plural -ries.
1. a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena: Einstein's theory of relativity.
2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact.
3. Mathematics. a body of principles, theorems, or the like, belonging to one subject: number theory.
4. the branch of a science or art that deals with its principles or methods, as distinguished from its practice: music theory.
5. a particular conception or view of something to be done or of the method of doing it; a system of rules or principles.
6. contemplation or speculation.
7. guess or conjecture.
[Origin: 1590â??1600; < LL theōria < Gk theōrÃ*a a viewing, contemplating, equiv. to theōr(eǐn) to view + -ia -y3]

â??Synonyms 1. Theory, hypothesis are used in non-technical contexts to mean an untested idea or opinion. A theory in technical use is a more or less verified or established explanation accounting for known facts or phenomena: the theory of relativity. A hypothesis is a conjecture put forth as a possible explanation of phenomena or relations, which serves as a basis of argument or experimentation to reach the truth: This idea is only a hypothesis.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oh My High

To refine my statement of things are as they seem, conspiracy theories almost always fail Occam's Razor.

People feel the need for big events to have equally big explanations. People have a hard time coping with how the security of their lives could instantly be unraveled by something so small and simple as, for instance, a lone gunman nobody or foreign terrorists armed with only box knives; they think, oh yes, there was some underlying system, some conspiracy, which guided the process along. There is in fact a good body of evidence which suggests people who tend to believe in conspiracy theories tend to have what psychologists call an external locus of control; they feel life happens to them rather than by their proactively leading their lives where they want, which would explain why conspiracy theories tend to run rampant amongst the economically disadvantaged, ethnic minorities, teenagers, and criminals. Whereas skeptics of conspiracies tend to have an internal locus of control.

Best regards.

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I do see your point in saying that capable people that blame others for their problems are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories.

My point in the original post is that conspiracies are everywhere, past and present, large and small.

A gang working together to start a riot is a conspiracy. Two employees working together to get their boss fired is a conspiracy. Every attempted coup is a conspiracy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oh My High

To refine my statement of things are as they seem, conspiracy theories almost always fail Occam's Razor.

People feel the need for big events to have equally big explanations. People have a hard time coping with how the security of their lives could instantly be unraveled by something so small and simple as, for instance, a lone gunman nobody or foreign terrorists armed with only box knives; they think, oh yes, there was some underlying system, some conspiracy, which guided the process along. There is in fact a good body of evidence which suggests people who tend to believe in conspiracy theories tend to have what psychologists call an external locus of control; they feel life happens to them rather than by their proactively leading their lives where they want, which would explain why conspiracy theories tend to run rampant amongst the economically disadvantaged, ethnic minorities, teenagers, and criminals. Whereas skeptics of conspiracies tend to have an internal locus of control.

Best regards.

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What a load of crap. I don't fit any of those categories.

I don't believe the freedom hating muslims with boxcutters commanded by the guy in the cave on the dialysis machine conspiracy theory because the evidence says otherwise.

I'd just like to point out; it's getting a bit rediculous how people are using "Occam's Razor" as "Occam's Law".

i got up this mornin and was already to have a nice toasty bagel. well upon opening the fridge i couldnt find the bagel i was looking for. i searched and searched but to no avail. i also found a huge glob of my cream cheese missing. i said to my self , i said" self where oh where id i put that bagel." so then i decided instead i would try some biscuits with bacon and maybe some gravy. well to my suprise there was only 2 strips of bacon. so again i said " self what the hell is goin on?" it then occured to me that maybe aliens came in at took my stuff. maybe it was hillary clinton and her tribe of shape shifting reptilian people from the center of the earth. by now im really paranoid. maybe they were watchin. by this point i decided to just relax and have some coffee. well no one in my house,inclding me, can thro out the old filter and grounds after the coffee is done. so i open up the trash can and what is there but my bagel wrapper and some scraps of bacon fat. thats when the truth hit me. that it was all just a ploy to make me have to eat plain old buttered toast. i suspect my roommates for commiting this attrocity,maybe they are shape shifting reptiles , maybe they work for then men in black, or maybe the cia, or perhaps some worse hither to unknown organization.

what is a man to do? think ill sit down with my toast and contemplate it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yokinazu

i got up this mornin and was already to have a nice toasty bagel. well upon opening the fridge i couldnt find the bagel i was looking for. i searched and searched but to no avail. i also found a huge glob of my cream cheese missing. i said to my self , i said" self where oh where id i put that bagel." so then i decided instead i would try some biscuits with bacon and maybe some gravy. well to my suprise there was only 2 strips of bacon. so again i said " self what the hell is goin on?" it then occured to me that maybe aliens came in at took my stuff. maybe it was hillary clinton and her tribe of shape shifting reptilian people from the center of the earth. by now im really paranoid. maybe they were watchin. by this point i decided to just relax and have some coffee. well no one in my house,inclding me, can thro out the old filter and grounds after the coffee is done. so i open up the trash can and what is there but my bagel wrapper and some scraps of bacon fat. thats when the truth hit me. that it was all just a ploy to make me have to eat plain old buttered toast. i suspect my roommates for commiting this attrocity,maybe they are shape shifting reptiles , maybe they work for then men in black, or maybe the cia, or perhaps some worse hither to unknown organization.

what is a man to do? think ill sit down with my toast and contemplate it

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perhaps it was 19 freedom hating muslims with boxcutters, they were told by the guy in the cave on the dialysis machine to do it...

The government for some reason comes to mind any time I hear the word!!

HOLY WAR!!!