Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational (Paperback)

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