Conspiracy theories are rife in Scientology, and of course that makes sense given Hubbard’s paranoia and the way he told his followers about their special status as the most intelligent and special human beings on Earth. In this short clip I talk about how this manifests in Scientology. Enjoy!
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“For the truth is that life on the face of it is a chaos in which one finds onself lost. The individual suspects as much, but is terrified to encounter this frightening reality face to face, and so attempts to conceal it by drawing a curtain of fantasy over it, behind which he can make believe that everything is clear.” – Jose Ortega y Gasset
Conspiracy theorists can be some of the most exasperating, frustrating and annoying people you will ever encounter online and in person. A few of us even know some of them or run into them at family gatherings. After listening to them ramble on, for hours if they are allowed to, we always walk away shaking our head, wondering what kind of idiot pill they must be taking to think the way they do. And that’s about all the significance they play in the day-to-day life of the average first-world citizen. We see and hear their crazy spin on such uncontroversial topics as the moon landings; the Bermuda Triangle; the spherical shape of our planet, the efficacy and safety of child vaccines; and, of course, what really happened on 9/11 and who was behind it. However, many other conspiracy theories branch off from these more weird and wild ideas which we don’t find so implausible, such as the possibility of secret government operations on our own citizens, carried out by three-letter agencies and paid for by black budgets which we are told are being done for our own safety. Those we might not be so sure about because we know that these kinds of conspiracies have really happened. Or the idea that large pharmaceutical companies or major cable companies are colluding to fix prices for their goods and services, basically creating hidden monopolies which unfairly pillage the pocketbooks of consumers. Or that social media platforms are actively searching for and deleting any content which disagrees with the political beliefs of its board members. When we hear something like that, depending on our own politics and exposure to social media, we might tilt our head and think “Yeah, I think that might be true.”Read More »What is Wrong with Conspiracy Theorists?
Hey everyone, so I thought this might be a useful and short lesson in critical thinking that may help you out with unruly relatives you may encounter at the Thanksgiving feast. I doubt this will help you win any arguments, but sometimes just knowing what’s really going on can be a way to hold on to your sanity and calm. And as usual, this is something that applies to all of us and not just your evil relatives so maybe this can help make you a clearer and more rational thinker too.Read More »The Problem with Making Things Personal
The subject of critical thinking is important. It’s important enough that it drives all of science and discovery and has given our modern culture great power and ability. Everything we have that makes our life easier and better: our technology, our system of government, our entire way of life, is founded on good critical thinking that was and is done by very smart people. It’s important that we have a clear understanding of what critical thinking is, but it’s also important that we show what it’s not. Just because someone says they are a critical thinker doesn’t mean they are. This is a label that actually means something. So let’s talk about this.Read More »Critical Thinking vs. Denialism
So far, most of my videos have been about Scientology. As a former member of that organization, I have plenty of reasons to speak out against it and I will continue to do so. But my blog and website are called Critical Thinker at Large for a reason. I’m not the Ex-Scientologist at Large. So here we go with something new.Read More »Why Conspiracy Theories Suck