The Forgotten Father of Abolitionism: John Rankin's Underground Railroad
Why Every Generation Has to Relearn Economic Freedom
Why do rational people become convinced by conspiracy theories—and
how can we distinguish genuine conspiracies from claims built on suspicion rather
than evidence?
Host Dennis McCuistion is joined by Michael Shermer,
founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and author of
Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational, to examine why intelligent
people can embrace seemingly irrational ideas.
Shermer explores what separates documented conspiracies, including
Watergate and the CIA’s MK-Ultra program, from
unsupported theories driven by proxy beliefs, proportionality bias, and the tendency
to search for intentional explanations behind chaotic events.
Drawing on examples ranging from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to
claims surrounding 9/11, Shermer explains why large, highly coordinated cover-ups
rarely withstand careful scrutiny.
The conversation also examines QAnon, the changing incentives of
modern journalism, and why experts and institutions benefit from acknowledging when
they get something wrong.
In an era when extraordinary claims can spread faster than the evidence, this episode
offers practical tools for separating facts from assumptions and evaluating conspiracy
theories with greater clarity.
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