Easily Recognize a Flat Earther or Conspiracy Theorist

Conspiracy theories often exhibit recurring patterns in their arguments. These patterns usually include one or more of the following characteristics:

1. Selective Interpretation: Conspiracy theorists tend to interpret information in a way that confirms their beliefs, disregarding evidence that contradicts them.  They will usually start their presentation arguing about facts that everyone agrees on and that has established evidence, so that they can establish a grain of credability before proceeding with the next type of arguments below.
2. Cherry-Picking Evidence: They may selectively choose evidence that supports their theory while ignoring or dismissing contradictory evidence.  Usually, the context of the evidence will support the contrary if they ever provide citations.  In other words, it'll be a sentence buried within something that is totally in a different context that supports "Globe Earth" for example.
3. Use of Logical Fallacies and crying: Conspiracy theories often rely on logical fallacies such as ad hominem attacks or appeals to emotion to make their arguments seem more persuasive.
4. Unfalsifiability: Many conspiracy theories are constructed in a way that makes them difficult to disprove, often relying on unfalsifiable claims or shifting the burden of proof.
5. Complexity and Inconsistency: Some conspiracy theories involve complex explanations with multiple interconnected elements, which can sometimes be internally inconsistent or contradictory.
6. Distrust of Authority: Conspiracy theorists often distrust mainstream sources of information and may reject evidence from these sources in favor of alternative unreliable sources.
7. Persecution Complex: They may adopt a sense of persecution, believing that their ideas are being suppressed by powerful entities. (see also #3)
8. Appeal to Hidden Knowledge: Conspiracy theories often appeal to the idea of hidden or secret knowledge, creating a sense of exclusivity among believers.
9. Unreal expectation of perfection.  If it isn't perfect flat earters think it can't be true even though the evidence comports to reality.

Recognizing these patterns can help individuals critically evaluate conspiracy theories and approach them with skepticism.

Source/Inspiration: Dr. Lee McIntyre.  Check out his book: amzn.to/3UvnDSf