Why facts won’t demolish the conspiracy theories

This column argues that conspiracy theories are drivn by a "crisis of causality." While I agree that mistrust contributes to conspiracy theories, I think the author underplays the normal human desire to ascribe great causes to great events. We don't like to think of the processes that govern our lives as being stochastic. It is not so much a distrust of causality but a desperate attempt to restore causal logic to the world we see around us that leads us to theorize about vast, hidden conspiracies. Given this, facts do make a difference by allowing us to tell a story and take measures to avoid becoming a character in that drama. I would expect conspiracy theories to flourish where we are unable to protect ourselves from the true causes of disaster -- or where people are ignorant of the facts. In other words, facts will help -- but control over our surroundings is also necessary to make conspiracy theories unattractive.