Conspiracy Myths (8) - Belief and Disbelief

 

Belief and disbelief


Statement: Your dog has bitten the postman. This was witnessed. Response: No, I don’t believe this. This cannot be true. My dog would never do this. (Denial of facts).

The priest abused children. Response: No, a priest would never do this.  (Denial of facts).

We prayed for a sick person and they got better. Our prayer helped. (post-hoc-fallacy / hindsight bias)

We prayed for a sick person and they didn’t get better, so, God must have had other plans. (post-hoc-fallacy /hindsight bias)

John was part of a successful team of web developers, so we must hire him. (Not necessarily true, since John could have been the weakest one of the group).

Bob, Alice, Michael and Linda are very good cooks. If we team them up, they will make a delicious meal (must not necessarily be true; many cooks spoil the broth)

Lotto: chances of winning 6 plus Super Number is roughly 1:140 million. I won. Why exactly did I win? Must be God’s will or karma!

Unidentified flying objects must come from outer space.

Science cannot explain everything; therefore, I believe in the spiritual world. (Argumentum ad ignorantiam)

Statement: In many countries, religious freedom is not considered a basic human right. Response: I don’t know how the situation in Afghanistan is, therefore your statement is wrong.

Nobody knows this for sure, therefore the reason must be X.

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