tbh this is a large part of why I am skeptical that science education actually will do much to combat conspiracism https://twitter.com/jimalkhalili/status/1247094937071620098

the particular mode here he is describing might really be called a form of hyper-science.

much in the way that pornography exaggerates many normal features of sexuality to the point of absurdity, there is a subclass of conspiracism that mostly exaggerates a lot of aspects of science -- most prominently the need for a causally coherent world

Likewise most detective stories since Sherlock Holmes feature a protagonist that -- scientifically -- decomposes a mysterious situation and discovers the hidden order and causality behind it. It's rarer to see situations where he comes back even more bewildered.

It's true that conspiracists do not put their "theories" to real tests and are incapable of changing their minds but how much science in the real world lives up to the abstract ideals of science is, well, complicated

But I honestly also think that focusing on things like education or mentality is a red herring even if its an entertaining one intellectually.

Our image of conspiracy theorists is of isolated people in basements obsessively piecing together missing link between Obama, the NWO, the Spear of Destiny, the Taiping Rebellion, the French Revolution, and why Karen took the kids

But its always been a social activity and once someone is enmeshed in a particular milieu where they find community that is all attuned to same particular outsider forms of discourse its hard to get them out of it

Sometimes they may think of themselves as scientists, other times as just as romanticized citizen investigators seeking the truth. But in some shape or form whatever they think of themselves they're also part of communities

And asking them to abandon the conspiracy theory is asking them to give up social ties and sources of collective activity and purpose that they are willing to pay a big price to secure.

Understandably you might start seeing similarities between conspiracy communities and cults. You're not alone. The notion of the "conspiratorial milieu" has a lot in common with the "cultic milieu" https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520276826/a-culture-of-conspiracy

They aren't the same thing but its rare to see a cult that doesn't subscribe to a conspiracy theory and its not uncommon to see a conspiracy theory that manifests as a cult.