Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? What’s really at the root of society’s skepticism of the “official story”? Set against the global socio-political landscape, Conspiracy Rising uses the latest science and psychology to investigate the causes of conspiracy theories, the types of people who tend to believe in them, why humans are wired to believe them, and how as a society it is imperative that we separate fantasies from real threats. There are tangible costs.

Scientific theories discussed: 1. social primate needs, 2. brain patterning of information, 3. confirmation bias, 4. equating cause and effect, 5. mistrust combined with credulity, and 6. the psychology of doubt.

Contributors include:
    Karen Douglas- Professor of Social Psychology, University of Kent
    Patrick Leman- Psychology Dept. Chair, University of London
    Michael Shermer- Professor, Presidential Fellow, Chapman University
    David Livingstone Smith- Professor of Philosophy, University of New England