The James Altucher Show

515 - Why People Become Conspiracy Theorists: Quillette Editor Jonathan Kay Explains How People Get Persuaded to Cross the Line of Logic

Episode Summary

Who makes you think what? So many people come on my podcast and say, "Freewill is a myth." We've heard this from Yuval Harari who wrote "Sapiens." We heard it from Robert Greene, author of "The Laws of Human Nature." And now we're learning about it...

Episode Notes

Who makes you think what? So many people come on my podcast and say, "Freewill is a myth." We've heard this from Yuval Harari who wrote "Sapiens." We heard it from Robert Greene, author of "The Laws of Human Nature." And now we're learning about it from a different perspective... Jonathan Kay wrote a book in 2011 called, "Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground." He studied 9/11 conspiracy theorists, people who believe in UFOs, secret societies running the world and more. I wanted to know what makes someone cross the border from skeptical to radical. And he told me it has to do with a lot of elements... fear, control, desire to create hope and fight evil in the world. I was surprised to learn the psychology behind it. AND to learn how you can avoid the trap.

I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.

Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to “The James Altucher Show” and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Stitcher

iHeart Radio

Spotify

 

Follow me on Social Media:

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Linkedin

Instagram

 

Check Out The Altucher Book Club Series:

Apple Podcasts

YouTube

Instagram