부산대학교 도서관

Research on conspiracy theories (CTs) and conspiratorial thinking demonstrates their connection to democracy. Some of that research has lumped all CTs and theorists into a pathology, which is erroneous and potentially dangerous to democracy because conspiracies have turned out to be correct in several instances. Understanding CTs and conspiratorial thinking better and investigating ways to increase critical thinking while maintaining a healthy skepticism may be prudent. An approach that may be more helpful than pathologizing and "curing" CTs is to prevent entrenched viewpoints by encouraging critical thinking. One system with a history of teaching people to think critically is Alfred Korzybski's general semantics (GS). This essay suggests ways GS can help conspiracy thinking by providing a framework for people to analyze information more rationally. Additionally, this essay includes concepts from conspiracy theory curator and provocateur Robert Anton Wilson, whom Korzybski and GS influenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]