Suspicious Minds

Starred review from September 7, 2015
Observing that conspiracy theories can be fluid in nature (“One person’s conspiracy theory is the next person’s conspiracy fact”), Brotherton, a former lecturer in psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, nimbly sidesteps the rabbit hole of proving or disproving specific conspiracies by focusing on the phenomenon as a whole. The concept has been around at least since Nero’s alleged fiddling while Rome burned (as it turns out, he was out of town at the time and immediately sought to provide food and shelter for victims upon his return). Over the course of this all-too-short book, Brotherton illustrates how incomplete, contradictory, coincidental, and incongruent information can allow people to see conspiracies and connections where there are none, due in part to the theories’ plausibility and humans’ innate desire for order, as well as a given individual’s understanding of how the world works. Put simply, people want to believe. Brotherton maintains an educational approach to the material, leading readers through the logic behind each concept as he explores subjects as diverse as the Illuminati, the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion (“not a very good fake”), the Kennedy assassination, and birthers. While Brotherton might not convince all believers to remove their tinfoil hats (a concept whose origin he explains), it’s sure to make readers question their worldview.

September 1, 2015

If the title of this book makes you suspicious of the author's motives, then Brotherton (formerly psychology, Goldsmiths, Univ. of London) will understand. We all possess brains with the programming necessary to look for and find conspiracies, he says. A little paranoia helped our species survive and evolve, and the trait lingers. His goal is not just to poke holes in the seemingly infinite number of conspiracy theories out there but instead to examine what it is that makes them so enduring. By thinking that conspiracies are the territory of "them" in the tinfoil hats and not all of us, we risk ignoring how our own biases shape our beliefs. Confirmation bias is the most common example of this phenomenon, says Brotherton. We are wired to reach conclusions quickly and then to seek out confirming facts. The ease with which we can now surround ourselves with others who support those pre-existing conclusions gives them impressive staying power. VERDICT Clearly written and with liberal use of humor and numerous examples from scholarly research, this title provides a valuable look at why conspiracy theories abound and why we should continually assess our thinking.--Richard Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver

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