Conspiracy Theories, Skepticism, and Critical Thinking

The German Union conspiracy is in full description, and again, I have to comment that it is about damn time. The entire book has been about tracing relationships, the neophytes in Continental Masonry, and gossip about Weishaupt's failed Illuminati, but it's been lacking in an actual conspiracy. Sure, there have been the occasional comments that they were spreading documents relating to the falseness of Christianity or the Church; and documents concerning the virtues of democracy; that however is not a conspiracy as they did this in the open.  Now, Robison from his seat in Scotland is going to discuss a German reading society that wants to expand literacy throughout the German-speaking states. Remember, this is the conspiracy--and it has to be a conspiracy because some of the documents that they will encourage to be read will be banned by order of whatever regional monarch is in charge. Their plan is also to set up an interconnected library system to facilitate reading.  Robiso...

 I've often wondered in my many readings of these types of conspiracy theories how the conspirators recruit their employees. If, as the Flat Earthers claim, there is an ice wall and that wall is guarded; then who is guarding it? Where is that recruitment drive? Does it pay well? As an academic I get lumped in as one of those leftist-socialists-gay indoctrinators that are paid to promote climate change, the homosexual agenda, and the idea that Christianity is stupid--but I assure the reader, the meager wage that I am paid is not reflective of my place as a cog in the wheel that grinds white Christian America into dust. As a person who could use the cash and actually does teach that the science for climate change is legitimate, that gay people are people, and that Christianity has some evidence problems I could use the cash. I protested Trump at the March for Science and according to Alex Jones that was a George Soros-led initiative but I never got my check. Is there a form to fill o...

 What's old is new again. In this section, we get insight into what the "German Union" actually is and how conspiracism hasn't changed in two hundred years. As I mentioned last post, the Illuminati had been effectively disbanded in the area we know as Germany. The Bavarian government had outlawed them, and their membership went off to do other things. Weishaupt tried to restart the group, but most people just wanted to be Masons which they felt that the Illuminati was merely an imitation of anyway. The Illuminati only live on in the minds of conspiracy theorists like Robison.  It's not hard to see why either. Conservatism throughout history has difficulty with change, that is, after all, what it is conservative about--the old ways, the status quo, etc. When the change comes, ushered in by some kind of Kuhnian paradigm shift, it's usually not considered a natural change. It's something else that is causing it. This presents a rather difficult issue for the ...