Suspicious Minds

Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories

By: Rob Brotherton

Narrated by: Charles Constant

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Conspiracy theorists do not wear tin-foil hats (for the most part). They are not just a few kooks lurking on the paranoid fringes of society with bizarre ideas about shape-shifting reptilian aliens running society in secret. They walk among us. They are us.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy. Yet conspiracy theories are not a recent invention. And they are not always a harmless curiosity. In Suspicious Minds, Rob Brotherton explores the history and consequences of conspiracism, and delves into the research that offers insights into why so many of us are drawn to implausible, unproven and unproveable conspiracy theories. They resonate with some of our brain's built-in quirks and foibles, and tap into some of our deepest desires, fears, and assumptions about the world.

The fascinating and often surprising psychology of conspiracy theories tells us a lot - not just why we are drawn to theories about sinister schemes, but about how our minds are wired and, indeed, why we believe anything at all. Conspiracy theories are not some psychological aberration - they're a predictable product of how brains work. This book will tell you why, and what it means.

©2015 Rob Brotherton (P)2020 Tantor

A great overview of the conspiratorialness we all hold and what makes for unhealthy imbalances

The chapter on defining conspiracy theory is exceptionally good. Just what I was looking for.

Enlightening ....nonsense makes sense.

never care what i am thinking, or doing. it will never make sense. frailties of the human mind ,double cross our thinking. what is obvious isn't and what is confusing is simple. Conspiracy is a way to play the game of life. power conspires, corrupt minds, insarional need for being tight. and insarional need for mind altering things that enable others to conspire and destroy.

Conspiracy theories are everywhere

(As posted in Goodreads)
I appreciate the overview of conspiracy theories and their connection to each other as well as their bases. I like to consider myself "above" all that, but I KNOW that that's just self-delusion and aggrandizement.
Going down the list of conspiracy theories and ranking them 1-7, I can truly rank all of the ones mentioned as a "1" (adamantly and clearly ESCHEW the idea in all of its aspects), but the things mentioned were cleanly, to me anyway, easy to dismiss.
I like his pointing out how easy it is to assume that you are trying to get the correct answer while clearly missing points of the question that don't match your initial reception (2,4,6 OBVIOUSLY indicates even integers, and has nothing to do with anything else…). We forget how easy it is to be led astray by our assumptions, and we all know that "Dr. Google" answers all questions exactly the way WE want them answered.
I already knew a lot of what he had to say, but the overall form and format was different and eye-opening.

A very important book

this book offers critical perspective and insight into our imperfect ways of thinking and provides a framework for better understanding the people and world around us.

broke down "us vrs them" mentality in conspiracy thinking, very insightful

well written, great read for someone who wants to understand how avid conspiracy minded people think and how that thinking is not unique to them at all, even when the ideas are far fetched.

a lot to like, but not perfect

I was enjoying this book until the author got into a protracted and egregiously bad reading of Richard Hofstadter, so bad that it begs the question of whether he actually read "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" at all (the essay or book).

It isn't that I think nothing can be added to an essay written 70 years ago, by a historian who died 50 years ago.
But aside from constantly invoking the piece and its author, the strawman Brotherton attacks has very little to identify it with Hofstadter's work.

I'm not going to tell you not to buy this book, but it's hard for me to express the disappointment and frustration I felt when I got to that part, and I realized that Brotherton might be as wrong in his takes on subjects that I'm not familiar with, as he is on Hofstadter (Which I'm at least more familiar with than Rob Brotherton apparently is).

In fact, I'm gonna tell you to buy this book, because it's a lot of fun, but you also should read Richard Hofstadter's essay/book (the former is available for free online, the latter is put on sale regularly on Kindle).
And maybe read this book first, so you won't be put off by its wretched critique of the other book.

and, Finally, I'm gonna tell you, to get outta my, face!!