Conspiracy theories

[DJ]

With the prevalence of conspiracy theories on this forum I thought this link would interest some folks.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/philip-hensher/the-hopeless-appeal-of-conspiracy-theories-483128.html

I think the last sentence is especially interesting.

DJ

[Andy62]

One can get carried away with conspiracy theories just like anything else. At the same time mankind has always had conspiracies. In the most ancient of texts there are references to spying and intelligence networks. Even friendly countries monitor and spy on each other as is evidenced by the fact that every so often one of these networks is exposed. In the dynamics of history allies and enemies tend to change positions over time. I am not all that much of a conspiracy theorist myself,but as the saying goes "even paranoid people have enemies" and it can be fun to game things out and who knows you may be right. My experiences while serving in the Intelligence Corps were some of the most exciting and mentally stimulating of my life. The reality is that if the plan and the agents are any good no one will ever figure it out.

[DJ]

Thanks for the reply Andy.

Here's another link on the study (as opposed to the previous opinion piece):

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/10/03/control-study.html

The first sentence "People often see patterns where none exist in an attempt to give structure and security..."
is very interesting.

You can probably do a search to find a more detailed account of the study if one has any interest.

When I read this study awhile back a smile came to my face as I remembered how my father had taught me that our statements reveal as much, if not more, about us then they do about the supposed topic being discussed.

DJ

[JoeJustice]

The "invisible hand" is often misidentified as a conspiracy. Take gasoline prices as a prime example of this.

-Joe

[Andy62]

Interesting discussion. I believe there will always be conspiracies and conspiracy theories. The article mentions that people develop conspiracy theories because of their need for a feeling of control. By the same token I believe that there will always be conspiracies because of the need of many people in leadership positions to control - just look at history. It is kind of "the chicken and the egg" - somebody always wants all of the chips in their stack. The people who rise to the top in any governmental system tend to have very strong egos and whether their demeanor is very controlled or not they tend to exemplify the principle of "animal dominance." While not becoming paranoid I have always enjoyed trying to decipher "complex strategies"- it is a fun game and in some situtations it has been very beneficial to me. You have to lift your thinking and your mind above the "quantitative" level and enter the "conceptual" level of thinking- an ability that very few people have. As Napoleon Bonaparte said,"Imagination rules the world." Albert Einstein said,"Imagination is more important than knowledge." People think that Intelligence operations are unsuccessful because nobody was able to figure out the successful ones.

[MikeNY]

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[JoeJustice]

I have to disagree with you here Mike.

I think the pro-Obama media coverage is a perfect example of the Invisible Hand principle not a conspiracy. In the media you had a large group of like minded, powerful and influential people who all had the same goal of getting Obama elected. They didn't conspire, there was no smoke filled room. They were each just doing their part and it snowballed into a single media driven message.

Not a conspiracy but and Invisible Hand.

-Joe

[MikeNY]

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[Andy62]

Just to make things interesting let me fan the flame a little bit. Today Equador, an oil producing country, defaulted on some of it's debt. Now I will admit with my training in Intelligence I tend to look at things differently,but the thought occurs to me that there may be some massive and brilliant Intelligence operation under way. Realize that many of the countries that are against the US and it's allies are oil producing counties: Iran, Russia, and Venezuela and all are in drastic economic shape due to the recent drop in oil prices. Wouldn't it be interesting if this was a plan in action. It would be a way to beat your adversaries without going to war.

[John Peterson]

Hey Gordon,

Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, Conspiracy Theory? No! Truthfully I don't buy into that. Why not? Simple. Because it's CONSPIRACY FACT!

---John Peterson

[MikeNY]

Gordon the Gulf States are having a Security Meeeting in Bahrain today, Iran has claimed Bahrain as part of Iran and other parts of the Arab World too. I like your idea that the Saudi's are manipulating the price of oil to deter Iran. The fallout is Russia and Venezuela are on the rocks and Russia might enter and need it's own Bailout Plan.