What Happens Between Conspiracy and Certainty?
Some people are convinced that elections are rigged. Others warn of a secret ‘Deep State’, swear by QAnon, or claim coronavirus was never real in the first place. Still others point to chemtrails in the sky or blame 5G masts for spreading the virus. In the UK, several towers were even set on fire.
But pause for a moment: how do such stories take hold? Why do they feel so convincing for some, while others brush them off without a second thought? And what does this tell us about the way we search for certainty, especially in times of fear and uncertainty?
In this session, we’ll explore the world of conspiracy theories together. You’ll look at how they spread, why people believe them, and what makes certain minds more open to them than others. Most of all, you’ll discover how questioning your own assumptions can be just as revealing as questioning someone else’s.
Jan-Willem works as an Associate Professor at the department of Experimental and Applied Psychology of VU Amsterdam, and as a Senior Researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR). He is interested in the dark side of human beings, particularly in the context of politics, law, and society. His research has three main thematic pillars: conspiracy theories, unethical behaviour, and radical ideologies.