What is the difference between a conspiracy theorist and an investigator?

[21Faces]

The other thing about conspiracy theorists is how they incorporate all evidence that contradicts the existence of a conspiracy by absorbing that evidence into the conspiracy itself. If you explain to someone how man-made climate change or evolutionary theory are generally no longer disputed issues in the larger scientific community they will explain to you how all thoses scientists are totally in on the global warming/evolutionary biology racket, then trot out a handful of crackpots with PhD's after their names that support the conspiracy as "evidence."

[Lydia]

21Faces: Meta analysis isn't a conspiracy theory. It in fact comprises a body of legitimate research.

http://www.cochrane.org/
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal...l/435737a.html
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/...l.pmed.0040005
http://journals.cambridge.org/action...ine&aid=566532

When reviewing any research or opinion piece always ask yourself who benefits before assuming it's true.

[21Faces]

I'm not talking about meta analysis. I'm talking about how conspiracy theorists will incorporate all evidence against a conspiracy into their delusion. You see the same thing with paranoid schizophrenics all the time. Another aspect of this mental disorder is confirmation bias. Once the theorist has settled on a pattern of information that reinforces their delusion they will "see" it everywhere at the exclusion of all other contradictory information.

If presented with information that debunks their claim they will call the source "biased." If presented with multiple sources- even ones that hold conflicting motivations but still agree on a single explanation of an event, they will claim conspiracy or find some issue with the methodology. Like arguments for the existence of God, any gray area that does not explicitly disprove their own claims will be clung to and upheld as "evidence."

[Dv5]

According to that logic and "diagnosis", then 84% of the worlds population are paranoid schizophrenics because they believe in a higher power. I agree with most of what you said, but comparing people to develop conspiracy theories to paranoid schizophrenics is way off the mark. Edit - What do you know about predictive consciousness?

[iggy]

Sanity.

[AssetReign]

According to that logic and "diagnosis", then 84% of the worlds population are paranoid schizophrenics because they believe in a higher power.

[ThreeEyedGod]

^ A Spock meme .jpg

that should convince those faithful sitting on the fence as to whether they should continue believing in their god or stray from him.

this thread is now about atheists vs. theists

again. :/

[AssetReign]

^ Isn't everything?