The Art of Opposition - Mick West

A conspiracy is defined by shadowy actors acting in secret to do
bad things, and is an unfortunate consequence of geopolitics.
Conspiracy theories, on the other hand, are ways of explaining
reality that lean heavily on this kind of behind-the-scenes cabal
as a mechanism for just about everything. They’re often marred by
a lack of evidence, or over-extension of evidence, despite the
fervent belief of their adherents. Sometimes conspiracy theories
prove out over time, however: CIA mind-control, government
assassinations, pretexts for foreign wars, human experimentation,
etc..


Humans appear to be living through a golden age of conspiracy
theories, with alternative explanations available for everything
from wars, to weather, to gun control, to the Beatles. Despite
the shaky foundations of many of these theories, our guest Mick
West has found that they often have extraordinary staying power.
 Mick started talking to conspiracy theorists when he
encountered the idea of chemtrails while studying for his pilot’s
license. He figured a well-placed scientific presentation would
lay the matter to rest - but ten years on, he’s still at it. He’s
since expanded his topic-set to Q-anon, UFOs, and started several
websites dedicated to conspiracy-debunking. Our conversation
ultimately sought means of productively discussing alternatives
to established narratives.  Subscribe & like so we can
keep bringing the best conversations!!! Podcast version available
at all usual locations: https://anchor.fm/demystifying-science
Mick West: http://mickwest.com/ Metabunk:
https://www.metabunk.org/home/ Contrail Science:
https://contrailscience.com/ Mr West's academic collaboration:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10... Support us and Mr. West
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