Download or read book Conspiracies of Conspiracies written by Thomas Milan Konda and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2019-03-15 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It’s tempting to think that we live in an unprecedentedly fertile age for conspiracy theories, with seemingly each churn of the news cycle bringing fresh manifestations of large-scale paranoia. But the sad fact is that these narratives of suspicion—and the delusional psychologies that fuel them—have been a constant presence in American life for nearly as long as there’s been an America. In this sweeping book, Thomas Milan Konda traces the country’s obsession with conspiratorial thought from the early days of the republic to our own anxious moment. Conspiracies of Conspiracies details centuries of sinister speculations—from antisemitism and anti-Catholicism to UFOs and reptilian humanoids—and their often incendiary outcomes. Rather than simply rehashing the surface eccentricities of such theories, Konda draws from his unprecedented assemblage of conspiratorial writing to crack open the mindsets that lead people toward these self-sealing worlds of denial. What is distinctively American about these theories, he argues, is not simply our country’s homegrown obsession with them but their ongoing prevalence and virulence. Konda proves that conspiracy theories are no harmless sideshow. They are instead the dark and secret heart of American political history—one that is poisoning the bloodstream of an increasingly sick body politic.
Download or read book Delusions and the Madness of the Masses written by Lawrie Reznek and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We all think that we can tell the difference between someone who is mad, or whom psychiatrists call psychotic, and someone who is sane. But can we really tell who is mad and who is not? Do we really know what madness is and how it should be recognized? Have psychiatrists made a sensible distinction between the patient who believes that aliens are beaming messages to him from a foreign planet, and the religious fanatic who believes God communicates to him via automatic writing? Is there a difference between the paranoid patient who believes that the FBI is after him, and the sizeable proportion of our normal population that believe that the US government orchestrated the 9-11 bombings? Here, Reznek hopes to shed light on the delusions of the masses-those delusions that are common to everyday people living so-called ordinary lives. He provides an understanding of madness and the psychological processes that drive us to adopt delusions, arguing that it is a mistake to view only schizophrenic patients as delusional, while excluding large groups of society from such an analysis. If we abandon the idea that whole communities cannot share a delusion, we can come to a better understanding about why the world is such a dangerous place.
Download or read book The Delusion Conspiracy written by Gerry Conway and published by Panini. This book was released on 2011-08 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jetting across the Atlantic, Spidey heads to Paris to rescue Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson from the clutches of Cyclone. But upon returning to New York, he is shocked to discover that his deceased girlfriend, Gwen Stacey, is in fact alive and well!
Download or read book The Delusions of Crowds written by William J. Bernstein and published by Grove Press. This book was released on 2021-02-23 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This “disturbing yet fascinating” exploration of mass mania through the ages explains the biological and psychological roots of irrationality (Kirkus Reviews). From time immemorial, contagious narratives have spread through susceptible groups—with enormous, often disastrous, consequences. Inspired by Charles Mackay’s nineteenth-century classic Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, neurologist and author William Bernstein examines mass delusion through the lens of current scientific research in The Delusions of Crowds. Bernstein tells the stories of dramatic religious and financial mania in western society over the last five hundred years—from the Anabaptist Madness of the 1530s to the dangerous End-Times beliefs that pervade today’s polarized America; and from the South Sea Bubble to the Enron scandal and dot com bubbles. Through Bernstein’s supple prose, the participants are as colorful as their “desire to improve one’s well-being in this life or the next.” Bernstein’s chronicles reveal the huge cost and alarming implications of mass mania. He observes that if we can absorb the history and biology of this all-too-human phenomenon, we can recognize it more readily in our own time, and avoid its frequently dire impact.
Download or read book Spiderman the Delusion Conspiracy written by and published by . This book was released on with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Changing Conceptions of Conspiracy written by Carl F. Graumann and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contents of the first two volumes were, we gladly admit, at once more familiar and easier to handle. We were concerned with mass and leadership psychology, two factors that we know from social and political life. They have been much studied and we can clearly trace their evolution. However, since actions by masses and leaders also have an intellectual and emotional side, we were obliged, in some way or other, to deal with this topic as well. It was obviously necessary, it seemed to us, to approach this study from a new and significant angle. One cannot escape the realiza tion that "conspiracy theory" has played, and continues to play, a central role in our epoch, and has had very serious consequences. The obsession with conspiracy has spread to such an extent that it continuously crops up at all levels of society. The fol lowing paradox must be striking to anyone: In the past, society was governed by a small number of men, at times by one individual, who, within traditional limits, imposed his will on the multitude. Plots were effective: By eliminating these individuals and their families, one could change the course of events. Today, this is no longer the case. Power is divided among parties and extends throughout society. Power flows, changes hands, and affects opinion, which no one controls and no one represents entirely.
Download or read book The Big Book of Conspiracy Theories written by Tim Rayborn and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-10-11 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From secret societies to aliens and assassinations, decode history’s greatest cover ups with The Big Book of Conspiracy Theories. Did America fake the moon landing? Was 9/11 an inside job? What is the government hiding at Area 51? From secret societies to aliens and assassinations, decode history’s greatest cover ups with The Big Book of Conspiracy Theories. Humanity has long been obsessed with the unexplained, and we have ascribed many mysteries to underground groups and secret schemes. With seeming coincidences piling up around significant events, it’s no wonder so many theories have emerged over the years. But how many coincidences are too many before it becomes a conspiracy? That’s for you to decide. Explore this compelling collection of unexplained circumstances and uncover hidden agendas, startling allegations, and baffling evidence. Unmask the remarkable origins and implications of these theories, including: - The JFK assassination - The Illuminati - The Flat Earth Society - Lizard people seeking world domination - Roswell - Mind Control Labs in Alaska - The New World Order - The Freemasons Connect the dots between suspicious coincidences and discover the craziest mysteries in the world with The Big Book of Conspiracy Theories.
Download or read book The Mormon Delusion written by Jim Whitefield and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2009-03-21 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first in a series of books comprising an exposé of the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). This volume concentrates on polygamy and little known polyandry which is hidden from rank and file Mormons. Historical evidence proves the Mormon Church has rewritten its own history through lies, suppression, omission and interpolation; such that the truth is so well hidden from members; unless they look outside the Church for information; they will never know of the continued conspiracy to deceive them. Contains over 120 pages of appendices, including complete lists and analysis of all the wives and families of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, highlighting polyandrous relationships and children born into those unions; plus details of over a hundred children born post 1890 to polygamous wives of General Authorities who violated their own canonised Manifesto after they had covenanted to stop the practice. Visit www.themormondelusion.com for further information.
Download or read book Paranoia written by Daniel Freeman and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholarly, comprehensive, illustrated by clinical examples throughout and written by leading researchers in this field, this study defines the phenomenon of paranoia in detail and analyzes the content of persecutory delusions.
Download or read book The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories written by Jan-Willem van Prooijen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-04-09 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who believes in conspiracy theories, and why are some people more susceptible to them than others? What are the consequences of such beliefs? Has a conspiracy theory ever turned out to be true? The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories debunks the myth that conspiracy theories are a modern phenomenon, exploring their broad social contexts, from politics to the workplace. The book explains why some people are more susceptible to these beliefs than others and how they are produced by recognizable and predictable psychological processes. Featuring examples such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and climate change, The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories shows us that while such beliefs are not always irrational and are not a pathological trait, they can be harmful to individuals and society.
Download or read book A Culture of Conspiracy written by Michael Barkun and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unravelling the genealogies and permutations of conspiracist worldviews, this work shows how this web of urban legends has spread among sub-cultures on the Internet and through mass media, and how this phenomenon relates to larger changes in American culture.
Download or read book Blood Libel written by Magda Teter and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 561 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A landmark history of the antisemitic blood libel myth—how it took root in Europe, spread with the invention of the printing press, and persists today. Accusations that Jews ritually killed Christian children emerged in the mid-twelfth century, following the death of twelve-year-old William of Norwich, England, in 1144. Later, continental Europeans added a destructive twist: Jews murdered Christian children to use their blood. While charges that Jews poisoned wells and desecrated the communion host waned over the years, the blood libel survived. Initially blood libel stories were confined to monastic chronicles and local lore. But the development of the printing press in the mid-fifteenth century expanded the audience and crystallized the vocabulary, images, and “facts” of the blood libel, providing a lasting template for hate. Tales of Jews killing Christians—notably Simon of Trent, a toddler whose body was found under a Jewish house in 1475—were widely disseminated using the new technology. Following the paper trail across Europe, from England to Italy to Poland, Magda Teter shows how the blood libel was internalized and how Jews and Christians dealt with the repercussions. The pattern established in early modern Europe still plays out today. In 2014 the Anti-Defamation League appealed to Facebook to take down a page titled “Jewish Ritual Murder.” The following year white supremacists gathered in England to honor Little Hugh of Lincoln as a sacrificial victim of the Jews. Based on sources in eight countries and ten languages, Blood Libel captures the long shadow of a pernicious myth.
Download or read book Useful Delusions The Power and Paradox of the Self Deceiving Brain written by Shankar Vedantam and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2021-03-02 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2021 A Next Big Idea Club Best Nonfiction of 2021 From the New York Times best-selling author and host of Hidden Brain comes a thought-provoking look at the role of self-deception in human flourishing. Self-deception does terrible harm to us, to our communities, and to the planet. But if it is so bad for us, why is it ubiquitous? In Useful Delusions, Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler argue that, paradoxically, self-deception can also play a vital role in our success and well-being. The lies we tell ourselves sustain our daily interactions with friends, lovers, and coworkers. They can explain why some people live longer than others, why some couples remain in love and others don’t, why some nations hold together while others splinter. Filled with powerful personal stories and drawing on new insights in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Useful Delusions offers a fascinating tour of what it really means to be human.
Download or read book Why Delusions Matter written by Lisa Bortolotti and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-07-13 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When we talk about delusions we may refer to symptoms of mental health problems, such as clinical delusions in schizophrenia, or simply the beliefs that people cling to which are implausible and resistant to counterevidence; these can include anything from beliefs about the benefits of homeopathy to concerns about the threat of alien abduction. Why do people adopt delusional beliefs and why are they so reluctant to part with them? In Why Delusions Matter, Lisa Bortolotti explains what delusions really are and argues that, despite their negative reputation, they can also play a positive role in people's lives, imposing some meaning on adverse experiences and strengthening personal or social identities. In a clear and accessible style, Bortolotti contributes to the growing research on the philosophy of the cognitive sciences, offering a novel and nuanced view of delusions.
Download or read book The Great Delusion written by Raphael Israeli and Moshe Yegar and published by Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency. This book was released on 2021-08-06 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great Delusion explores the gap that persists between the Zionist ambition to implement its project among the neighboring Arab world peacefully, achieving recognition and acceptance amicably, and the reality of a century-old permanent state of war and hostility towards Jews, Zionism, and Israel, which has been cultivated among the Arab populace. In recent decades, and especially since President Donald Trump’s administration, American mediation has helped break that wall of enmity, at least on the governmental level. But on emotional and popular levels, the long years of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli propaganda seem much more difficult to eradicate. This volume discusses the frustration on the part of Israel to attain a permanent peace with the Arab world.
Download or read book Pathologies of Belief written by Max Coltheart and published by Blackwell Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Belief systems are supposed to be governed by norms of rationality. Yet some people seem to believe quite extraordinary things: for example, that they are dead, or that their closest relatives have been replaced by impostors, or that the person they see in the mirror is not really them, or that someone else's thoughts are being inserted into their mind. Do people really believe such things? Could beliefs like these simply be rational interpretations of unusual experiences? Why are these beliefs maintained despite their utter implausibility and the uniform skepticism with which others greet them? In this book, psychologists and philosophers describe and discuss a range of case studies of delusional beliefs, drawing out general lessons both for the cognitive architecture of the mind and for the notion of rationality, and exploring connections between the delusional beliefs that occur in schizophrenia and the flawed understanding of beliefs that is characteristic of autism.
Download or read book Belief Imagination and Delusion written by Ema Sullivan-Bissett and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2024-01-23 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together recent work on the nature of belief, imagination, and delusion, and seeks to get clearer on the nature of belief and imagination, the ways in which they relate to one another, and how they might be integrated into accounts of delusional belief formation.
