Table of Contents

Apologia
Prologue. The Conspiracy Effect: Why Smart People Believe Blatantly Wrong Things for Apparently Rational Reasons
Part I. Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories
Chapter 1. Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories: The Difference in Thinking and the Difference It Makes
Chapter 2. A Brief History of Conspiracy Theories and Conspiracists: Toward a Science of Conspiracism
Chapter 3. Proxy and Tribal Conspiracism: How Conspiratorial Beliefs Are Reinforced as Truths
Chapter 4. Constructive Conspiracism: Paranoia, Pessimism, and the Evolutionary Origins of Conspiracy Cognition
Chapter 5. A Case Study in Conspiracism: The Sovereign Citizens Conspiracy Theory
Part II. How to Determine Which Conspiracy Theories Are Real
Chapter 6. The Conspiracy Detection Kit: How to Tell If a Conspiracy Theory Is True or False
Chapter 7. Truthers and Birthers: The 9/11 and Obama Conspiracy Theories
Chapter 8. JFK Blown Away: The Mother of All Conspiracy Theories
Chapter 9. Real Conspiracies: What If They Really Are Out to Get You?
Chapter 10. The Deadliest Conspiracy in History: The Trigger of World War I and How Conspiracies Really Work
Chapter 11. Real and Imagined Enemies: Conspiracies in Reality and in Our Imaginations
Part III. Talking to Conspiracists and Rebuilding Trust in Truth
Chapter 12. How to Talk to Conspiracy Theorists: Engaging with People with Whom We Disagree
Chapter 13. How to Rebuild Trust in Truth: Reason, Rationality, and Empiricism in Reality-Based Communities
Coda. What People Believe About Conspiracy Theories and Why: Results of the Skeptic Research Center Survey
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

Promotional Information

"A well-written and essential tool for those navigating today's complicated geopolitical landscape."—Library Journal Best-selling author Michael Shermer presents an overarching theory of conspiracy theories—who believes them and why, which ones are real, and what we should do about them.

About the Author

Michael Shermer (SANTA BARBARA, CA) is the publisher of Skeptic magazine, a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University, the host of the popular podcast The Michael Shermer Show, and the Skeptic Substack weekly columnist. He is the author of many New York Times–bestselling books, including Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time, The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths, and The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People.

Reviews

Conspiracies succeed thanks to repetition, and Shermer's numerous examples prove how entrenched these beliefs are within contemporary American culture. The book includes solid tips on how to assess a conspiracy theory's veracity, how to talk to conspiracists, and how to restore trust and truth in national conversations....A well-written and essential tool for those navigating today's complicated geopolitical landscape.
—Library Journal (starred review)

A fascinating tour of oddball wrongheadedness, with gentle but firm prescriptions for combatting it.
—Kirkus Reviews

What Shermer's book does is delve into the reasons why we are so ready to believe that, to borrow a phrase from perhaps the ultimate conspiracy theory work of culture, the X-Files: The Truth is Out There....Part of why we think that is because our levels of trust in those in power has plummeted in recent years....The answer, according to Shermer, is very simple. If everyone told the truth, and we all believed that was the case, there would be no need for conspiracy theories.
—The Independent

Deep and engaging.
—Ralph Lewis, MD, Psychology Today

Many books about conspiracies and conspiracy theories exist, but this one stands out as an authoritative, very readable overview of the subject.
—Choice

Though we may think conspiracy theories appeal only to the naïve or uneducated, Shermer dispels that myth, showing how pervasive they really are.His book doesn't leave readers feeling overwhelmed or powerless, but offers a primer on how not to be duped—and how to help others who've fallen prey to conspiracies.
—Greater Good Magazine