Thursday, May 05, 2011
Seven Rules of Plausibility by Roy Latham
Rule 1. Don’t call the theory ridiculous
Rule 2. Don’t casually accept factual premises that are offered.
Rule 3. Consider the relevance of the expertise of a claimed expert
Rule 4. Consider Claims One-by-One
Rule 5. Keep a Running Tally of the Number of Conspirators
Rule 6. Acknowledge Valid Points
Rule 7. Ask for Direct Evidence of Conspiracy
Read full discussion of all seven rules….
See Also (by David Brin):
Conspiracies and Wishful Thinking (2010/12/06)
WHEN IS A CONSPIRACY THEORY NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY? (2005)
Paranoia has many roots and levels
As one who nurses a few conspiracy theories of his own — but only ones that fit the Seven Secret Rules of Plausibility 😉 — I actually find most of the run-of-the-mill-kneejerk stories, concocted by modern loonies (not only on the far right, but also plenty on the far-left and even far-out) to be just plain dumb. They are nearly always based on several self-flattering premises:
