Conspiracies - It's Not What We Believe, But More of What We DONT Believe

[taiwan_girl]

Interesting article on conspiracy theory and the mental aspects of belief in conspiracies.

QUOTE
"The question “How could anybody believe this stuff?” comes naturally enough. That may not be the most helpful question, however. Conspiracy theorists believe strange ideas, yes. But these outlandish beliefs rest on a solid foundation of disbelief."
UNQUOTE

also
QUOTE
In the 1950s, when Big Tobacco faced growing evidence that cigarettes were deadly, the industry turned doubt into a weapon. Realizing that smokers dearly wished to believe that their habit wasn’t killing them, Big Tobacco concluded that the best approach was not to try to prove that cigarettes were safe. Instead, it would merely raise doubts about the emerging evidence that they were dangerous. The famous “Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers” from 1954 managed to look socially responsible while simultaneously reassuring smokers that “research scientists have publicly questioned” the significance of the new findings.
UNQUOTE
(The above reminds me of the climate change debate - I will run and duck now LOL)

Mental Aspect about believing conspriacies