Read on Twitter
1/6 A quick look at Twitter this morning and I see the conspiracy theorists are getting shoutier. So I wanted to share a few thoughts. I know it& #39;s pointless to argue against a conspiracy theorist, but consider this:
2/6 Conspiracy theorists argue they are being & #39;scientific& #39;. After all, they will say, they too are sceptics and rationalists who question everything, don& #39;t accept dogma and value the importance of evidence. But the truth is a conspiracy theorist is the opposite of a scientist:
3/6 ...They will dismiss any evidence against their & #39;theory& #39; or even seek to assimilate it and interpret it in a way that confirms rather than repudiates their core idea, thus making their theory unfalsifiable, which BY DEFINITION, means it is unscientific.
4/6 Ask a conspiracy theorist this: what would it take for you to change your mind? This highlights the fatal flaw in their approach: they leave no room for doubt. In contrast, in science we learn to change our minds in the light of new evidence.
5/6 When conspiracy theories spread on social media – such as the ludicrous claims that COVID-19 is a bioweapon developed by China or that it is caused by RF radiation from G5 networks – then such misinformation undermines any sensible collective responsibility.
