The Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols Analysis Essay Example

Conspiracy theories tend to cause social disaster due to the fact that these theories tend to leave people with more questions and concerns. When evidence is lacking in a situation people turn to conspiracy theories since they offer answers, even though they may not be accurate. Conspiracy theories are like sitting in on the behind the scenes of your favorite show. You are receiving all the good scoop and feel included. For example, since COVID-19 there has been conspiracies going around. Some are saying the Chinese engineered the coronavirus or the vaccine will alter your DNA. As crazy as these theories are there can be there is some truth to it. 

“Why rational people buy into conspiracy Theories” by Maggie Koerth-Baker focuses on the scientific and political aspect to why people believe in these “crazy” theories. She elaborates on the different psychologists and how they tackle this matter. Many of the psychologists she mentions say just about any kind of person can believe in conspiracies. As the prominent philosopher Koerth-Baker puts it “ Perfectly sane minds possess an incredible capacity for developing narratives, and even some of the wild conspiracy theories can be grounded and rational thinking, which makes them that much more pernicious.” Therefore, even people who are considered to be level-headed, tend to believe in these theories. For instance, political leaders tend to use conspiracy theories to their advantage on votes. Koerth-Baker believes that idea is an ineffective tool and could possibly backfire on someone. She proceeds to follow that statement with “ …African Americans who believe AIDS is a weapon loosed on them by the government are less likely to practice protected sex” (Koerth-Baker 3). The essence of Koerth-Baker’s argument is that if people truly believe in these conspiracies it will show in their actions and it could negatively affect others, especially when majority of the time it’s not true. 

Along the same lines Tom Nicholas expresses his ideas through a more ethical expertise and emphasizes on a lot of conformation bias in “ The death of expertise”. Nicholas talks about the evolution through social media and how everyone feels that their opinion is valid and must not be disrespected.  In making this comment, Nicholas argues that Americans tend to reject advice that contradicts their own perspective, in result it increases their already delicate ego. Nicholas perplexes things further when he writes, “ …in sum, that the dumber you are, the more confident you are that you’re not actually dumb (Nicholas 7). Many take this comment as an insult which proves the authors point of how people take others’ opinions as disrespectful. This ties into the idea of conformation bias which is the tendency of people to prefer real-world information that confirms their preexisting beliefs and hypotheses, an effect that is strongest in areas that are emotionally charged and when deeply rooted belief systems are involved. This all connects to conspiracy theories and why people are so invested in them. It is a true belief and it continues to be influenced through social media. “Thus, at least some of the people who reject expertise are not really, as they often claim showing their independence of thought.” People are not willing to show their vulnerabilities and be open to not just one theory but multiple. 

Furthermore, many conspiracy theories lead to cults as expressed in “The Psychological Needs That QAnon feeds” by Joe Pierre. Pierre focuses on the negative aspects to conspiracy theories and its mental breakdown. “While those answers consist of dark narratives involving bad actors in secret plots, conspiracy theories capture our attention, offer a kind of reassurance that things happen for a reason and can make believers feel special that they are privy to secrets to which the rest of us “sheeple” are blind (Pierre 9). The feeling of being involved is a psychological aspect to reeling in someone in a cult. That feeling that you get that you may not obtain on a regular day but you get from hearing these conspiracy theories or being involved in a group has to do with psychology. From a psychological perspective if one feels desperate enough to feel included or in fall they might take matters in their own hands and go as far as to going in a cult. Cults require so much of your time and energy it may feel that it’s all you have left or need. You become so infatuated with it but if you leave you also leave a piece of yourself and you feel a sense of lost in your self- worth. Pierre agrees when he writes “For those immersed in the world of QAnon, climbing out of that rabbit hole could represent a significant loss-of something to occupy one’s time, of feeling connected to something important… (Pierre 10). In conclusion, people tend to stay in cults because they feel that is their only option but in reality you always have a choice. As crazy as some of these theories are in other minds it is the reality. According to Pierre, Dr.Bradely and his colleagues came up with “the 5 stages of conspiracy theory belief” (Pierre 11). It starts with people being open minded to the idea at first and ends with conspiracy theories beginning to overlap with reductive aspects. Pierre compares the belief of conspiracy theories to those who believe in interpretations of things like the Bible. 

In a broad perspective, all of these sources come to the conclusion that people tend to believe in conspiracy theories because it answers the unknown in a sense. People believe that theories such as the COVID 19 vaccine will turn to into a zombie because it is an answer even though it may not be the truth. If the government is not appealing to everyone’s concerns many will seek to find the most “craziest examples.” Also each source touches on the psychological aspect t to why people believe in conspiracies. As time progresses and information is scarce people will be desperate enough to believe in anything.