Download or read book Cognitive Infiltration written by David Ray Griffin and published by Interlink Books. This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Former Chicago and Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, who in 2009 was appointed by President Barack Obama to direct an important executive branch office, had in 2008 co-authored an article containing a plan for the government to prevent the spread of anti-government 'conspiracy theories,' in which he advocated the use of anonymous government agents to engage in 'cognitive infiltration' of these groups in order to break them up. In his new book, Griffin focuses on the fact that Sunstein's primary target is the conspiracy theory advocated by the 9/11 Truth Movement. Examining Sunstein's charge that this theory is both 'harmful' and 'demonstrably false,' Griffin uses both satire and overwhelming evidence to show that this twofold charge applies instead to what Sunstein calls 'the true conspiracy theory' about 9/11--namely, the 'theory that al-Qaeda was responsible for 9/11.'

Download or read book Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas written by Cass R. Sunstein and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of controversial essays touches upon an array of issues, from marriage equality and conspiracy theories to animal rights.

Download or read book When Prophecy Fails written by Leon Festinger and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study reported in this volume grew out of some theoretical work, one phase of which bore specifically on the behavior of individuals in social movements that made specific (and unfulfilled) prophecies. We had been forced to depend chiefly on historical records to judge the adequacy of our theoretical ideas until we by chance discovered the social movement that we report in this book. At the time we learned of it, the movement was in mid-career but the prophecy about which it was centered had not yet been disconfirmed. We were understandably eager to undertake a study that could test our theoretical ideas under natural conditions. That we were able to do this study was in great measure due to the support obtained through the Laboratory for Research in Social Relations of the University of Minnesota. This study is a project of the Laboratory and was carried out while we were all members of its staff. We should also like to acknowledge the help we received through a grant-in-aid from the Ford Foundation to one of the authors, a grant that made preliminary exploration of the field situation possible.

Download or read book 9 11 Ten Years Later written by David Ray Griffin and published by Interlink Publishing. This book was released on 2012-04-10 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the tenth anniversary of the Septemer 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, David Ray Griffin reviews the troubling questions that remain unanswered 9/11 Ten Years Later is David Ray Griffin's tenth book about the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Asking in the first chapter whether 9/11 justified the war in Afghanistan, he explains why it did not. In the following three chapters, devoted to the destruction of the World Trade Center, Griffin asks why otherwise rational journalists have endorsed miracles (understood as events that contradict laws of science). Also, introducing the book's theme, Griffin points out that 9/11 has been categorized by some social scientists as a state crime against democracy. Turning next to debates within the 9/11 Truth Movement, Griffin reinforces his claim that the reported phone calls from the airliners were faked, and argues that the intensely debated issue about the Pentagon—whether it was struck by a Boeing 757—is quite unimportant. Finally, Griffin suggests that the basic faith of Americans is not Christianity but "nationalist faith"—which most fundamentally prevents Americans from examining evidence that 9/11 was orchestrated by U.S. leaders—and argues that the success thus far of the 9/11 state crime against democracy need not be permanent.

Download or read book 9 11 and American Empire Volume 1 written by David Ray Griffin and published by Olive Branch Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Were the military and the FAA really that incompetent? Were our intelligence-gathering agencies really in the dark about 9/11? How could so much go wrong at once, in the world's strongest and most technologically sophisticated country? Both the government and the mainstream media have tried to portray the 9/11 truth movement as led by people who can be dismissed as "conspiracy theorists." This volume shows this caricature to be untrue. Coming from different academic disciplines as well as from different parts of the world, the authors are united In the conviction that the official story about 9/11 is a huge deception manufactured to extend Imperial control at home and abroad.

Download or read book Emerging Cyber Threats and Cognitive Vulnerabilities written by Vladlena Benson and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-09-20 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emerging Cyber Threats and Cognitive Vulnerabilities identifies the critical role human behavior plays in cybersecurity and provides insights into how human decision-making can help address rising volumes of cyberthreats. The book examines the role of psychology in cybersecurity by addressing each actor involved in the process: hackers, targets, cybersecurity practitioners and the wider social context in which these groups operate. It applies psychological factors such as motivations, group processes and decision-making heuristics that may lead individuals to underestimate risk. The goal of this understanding is to more quickly identify threat and create early education and prevention strategies. This book covers a variety of topics and addresses different challenges in response to changes in the ways in to study various areas of decision-making, behavior, artificial intelligence, and human interaction in relation to cybersecurity. - Explains psychological factors inherent in machine learning and artificial intelligence - Discusses the social psychology of online radicalism and terrorist recruitment - Examines the motivation and decision-making of hackers and "hacktivists" - Investigates the use of personality psychology to extract secure information from individuals

Download or read book Conspiracy Theory in America written by Lance deHaven-Smith and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asserts that the Founders' hard-nosed realism about the likelihood of elite political misconduct—articulated in the Declaration of Independence—has been replaced by today's blanket condemnation of conspiracy beliefs as ludicrous by definition.

Download or read book 9 11 Contradictions written by David Ray Griffin and published by Interlink Publishing Group. This book was released on 2008 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 9/11 Contradictions, David Ray Griffin shows that the official story about 9/11 is riddled with internal contradictions. Two contradictory statements cannot both be true, which therefore shows that individuals and agencies articulating the official story of 9/11 have made many false statements. Congress and the press clearly should then ask which of the contradictory statements are false and why they were made. This book is purely factual, simply laying out the fact that these internal contradictions exist. As such, the book contains no theory. Politicians and journalists who deal with the issues raised herein will therefore not be giving credence to some "conspiracy theory" about 9/11. They will simply be carrying out their duty to ask why the official story about 9/11, arguably the most fateful event of our time, is riddled with so many contradictions.

Download or read book Conspiracy Theories and the Failure of Intellectual Critique written by Kurtis Hagen and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2022-07-20 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conspiracy Theories and the Failure of Intellectual Critique argues that conspiracy theories, including those that conflict with official accounts and suggest that prominent people in Western democracies have engaged in appalling behavior, should be taken seriously and judged on their merits and problems on a case-by-case basis. It builds on the philosophical work on this topic that has developed over the past quarter century, challenging some of it, but affirming the emerging consensus: each conspiracy theory ought to be judged on its particular merits and faults. The philosophical consensus contrasts starkly with what one finds in the social science literature. Kurtis Hagen argues that significant aspects of that literature, especially the psychological study of conspiracy theorists, has turned out to be flawed and misleading. Those flaws are not randomly directed; rather, they consistently serve to disparage conspiracy theorists unfairly. This suggests that there may be a bias against conspiracy theorists in the academy, skewing “scientific” results. Conspiracy Theories and the Failure of Intellectual Critique argues that social scientists who study conspiracy theories and/or conspiracy theorists would do well to better absorb the implications of the philosophical literature.

Download or read book Secrets Spies and 7 7 written by Tom Secker and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2014-07-28 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On July 7th 2005 London suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history. Despite one of the largest police investigations ever to take place in Britain, to date not a single person has been found guilty for the atrocity that killed over 50 people. Using unsealed court documents and declassified intelligence agency files Secrets, Spies and 7/7 takes you on a journey through the labyrinth of disinformation about the bombings. Drawing on over 7 years of research, Tom Secker shows how the official version of events, which blamed 4 British Muslim men, is a mess of contradictions, errors and fantasies. This unique investigation also explores the 'War on Terror' context in which the attacks took place and shows how an alternative look at the evidence suggests some very different culprits to those blamed by the official story.

Download or read book The Psychology of Conspiracy written by Michal Bilewicz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-05-15 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why did the third World Trade Center building (WTC7) collapse on September 11th , even though it was not struck by any aircraft? Why did Princess Diana’s "drunk" driver look sober as he climbed into the car minutes before their deadly accident? Could a slender birch tree really have caused the plane crash which killed the President of Poland in 2010? ‘Conspiracy thinking’ – the search for explanations of significant global events in clandestine plots, suppressed knowledge and the secret actions of elite groups – provides simple and logical answers to the social doubts and uncertainties that occur at times of major national and international crises. Contemporary social psychology seeks to explain the human motivation to create, share and receive conspiracy theories, and to shed light on the consequences of these theories for people’s social and political functioning. This important collection, written by leading researchers in the field, is the first to apply quantitative empirical findings to the subject of conspiracy theorizing. The first section of the book explores conspiracy theories in the context of group perception and intergroup relations, paying particular attention to anti-Semitic conspiracy stereotypes. It then goes on to examine the relationship between an individual’s political ideology and the degree to which they engage in ‘conspiracy thinking’. The concluding part of the book considers the explanatory power of conspiracy, focusing on the link between social paranoia and digital media, and highlighting the social, political, and environmental consequences of conspiracy theories. The Psychology of Conspiracy will be of great interest to academics and researchers in social and political psychology, and a valuable resource to those in the fields of social policy, anthropology, political science, and cultural studies.

Download or read book UFOs Conspiracy Theories and the New Age written by David G. Robertson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-02-25 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How-and why- were UFOs so prevalent in both conspiracy theories and the New Age milieu in the post-Cold War period? In this ground-breaking book, David G. Robertson argues that UFOs symbolized an uncertainty about the boundaries between scientific knowledge and other ways of validating knowledge, and thus became part of a shared vocabulary. Through historical and ethnographic case studies of three prominent figures-novelist and abductee Whitley Strieber; environmentalist and reptilian proponent David Icke; and David Wilcock, alleged reincarnation of Edgar Cayce-the investigation reveals that millennial conspiracism offers an explanation as to why the prophesied New Age failed to arrive-it was prevented from arriving by malevolent, hidden others. Yet millennial conspiracism constructs a counter-elite, a gnostic third party defined by their special knowledge. An overview of the development of UFO subcultures from the perspective of religious studies, UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age is an innovative application of discourse analysis to the study of present day alternative religion.

Download or read book Handbook of Scientology written by James R. Lewis and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-01-05 with total page 620 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of Scientology brings together a collection of fresh studies of the most persistently controversial of all contemporary New Religions. In recent years, increasing scholarly attention has been directed at the Church of Scientology, resulting in a small tsunami of new scholarship. We have finally reached a point in time where a book on Scientology need not restrict itself to basics. Thus, for example, the historical chapters in the present volume are not really aimed at providing elementary facts on Scientology’s background, but, rather, focus on understanding how the Church of Scientology developed over the years. In short, the Handbook of Scientology will provide a wealth of new information on a topic that one might otherwise have thought exhausted. Contributors are Matthew Charet, Dorthe Refslund Christensen, Carole M. Cusack, Bernard Doherty, Marco Frenschkowski, Liselotte Frisk, Kjersti Hellesøy, Don Jolly, James R. Lewis, Renee Lockwood, András Máté-Tóth, Gábor Dániel Nagy, Johanna Petsche, Erin Prophet, Susan Raine, David G. Robertson, Mikael Rothstein, Lisbeth Tuxin Rubin, Nicole S. Ruskell, Shannon Trosper Schorey, Michelle Swainson, Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen, Hugh G. Urban, Donald A. Westbrook, and Benjamin Zeller.

Download or read book Handbook of the Philosophy of Climate Change written by Gianfranco Pellegrino and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 1286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Censored 2012 written by Mickey Huff and published by Seven Stories Press. This book was released on 2011-10-04 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every year since 1976, Project Censored, our nation’s oldest news-monitoring group—a university-wide project at Sonoma State University founded by Carl Jensen, directed for many years by Peter Phillips, and now under the leadership of Mickey Huff—has produced a Top-25 list of underreported news stories and a book, Censored, dedicated to the stories that ought to be top features on the nightly news, but that are missing because of media bias and self-censorship. Seven Stories Press has been publishing this yearbook since 1994, featuring the top stories listed democratically in order of importance according to students, faculty, and a national panel of judges. Each of the top stories is presented at length, alongside updates from the investigative reporters who broke the stories. Beyond the Top-25 stories, additional chapters delve further into timely media topics: The Censored News and Media Analysis section provides annual updates on Junk Food News and News Abuse, Censored Déjà Vu, signs of hope in the alternative and news media, and the state of media bias and alternative coverage around the world. In the Truth Emergency section, scholars and journalists take a critical look at the US/NATO military-industrial-media empire. And in the Project Censored International section, the meaning of media democracy worldwide is explored in close association with Project Censored affiliates in universities and at media organizations all over the world. A perennial favorite of booksellers, teachers, and readers everywhere, Censored is one of the strongest life signs of our current collective desire to get the news we citizens need—despite what Big Media tells us.

Download or read book Modern Conspiracy written by Emma A. Jane and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-08-28 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While conspiracy theory is often characterized in terms of the collapse of objectivity and Enlightenment reason, Modern Conspiracy traces the important role of conspiracy in the formation of the modern world: the scientific revolution, social contract theory, political sovereignty, religious paranoia and mass communication media. Rather than seeing the imminent death of Enlightenment reason and a regression to a new Dark Age in conspiratorial thinking, Modern Conspiracy suggests that many characteristic features of conspiracies tap very deeply into the history of the Enlightenment: its vociferous critique of established authorities and a conception of political sovereignty fuelled by fear of counter-plots, for example. Perhaps, ultimately, conspiracy theory affords us a renewed opportunity to reflect on our very relationship to the truth itself.

Download or read book Dissed Trust written by William DeMersseman and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2010-09-30 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Distrust of government is a natural response to a controlling and out-of-control bureaucracy. The motivation for protest and reform is not animosity towards government and its legitimate functions, but a love of America and a passionate desire to pass on to the next generation the innumerable blessings of liberty. Citizens are frightened by the governments relentless growth, unsustainable debt trajectory, culture of corruption, and encroachment of individual rights.... Critics of the tea party movement attempt to derail it with meritless claims of racism, extremism, bigotry, conspiracy, class-warfare and malice. The claims are ridiculous. Tea party participants include members of every party, social class, ethnicity, age and gender; they hold varying views on a number of issues, but share a deep appreciation for the limited, constitutional government established by Americas founders. They see Washingtons profligate spending, imperious unaccountability, and reprobate political environment as symptoms of a federal government that recognizes no limitations on its power. They feel a civic responsibility to speak out and to work toward a return to constitutional governance and sound fiscal policy. This is not a book about the tea party movement. It is a book about the political, economic and cultural upheavals fueling the movement: the insanely escalating national debt; the increasingly coercive and contemptuous political establishment; the arrogant failure of true political leadership; and the pervasive assault on the society-sustaining virtues of truth, trust, integrity, morality, freedom, and civility.