On Cults

Entries Relating to Cults

• 3381. A cult is a club that went bad.
• 2470. Cults are primarily low context. Because they lack deep roots and are a hodge-podge of tenets from various religions, they masquerade as high-context structures while remaining in a dangerous state of constant flux.
• 2418. Have varied interests—that way you won't be prone to joining cults. Diversity in interests prevents one from staying with a single group blindly.
• 2269. The political cultist of now. This entry suggests that a sense of community around shared opinions drives these movements, comparing current political cultists to the "Grateful Dead fan of 40 years ago."
• 2184. Cultism gives people the feeling of certainty. It serves as a palliative for loneliness and isolation, offering an "easy way out" through groupthink.
• 2183. Cult behavior is an intentional defiance of the prevailing logic. It is characterized as a form of manipulation.
• 2082. The cult of celebrity. This phenomenon is noted as dominating America since the Reagan era, with movie stars seen as handles for national crises.
• 1964. The internet is a cult machine. It facilitates the easier formation of these groups.
• 1962. Cults are easy to join and can become progressively easier. They are described as a "positive feedback loop toward a chaotic result," much like natural disasters.
• 0117. Radical splinter/cult groups. Mentions groups like "The Weathermen and The Weather Underground" arising from the Vietnam War era.

Entries Relating to Conspiracies

• 3388. Criminality as conspiracy. Discusses how tens of millions perceive certain political figures as criminals regardless of claims that such criminality is a "conspiracy or hoax."
• 3071. YouTube is now the 'Snake Oil Industrial Complex' for conspiracy theories. It represents the modern "demon-haunted world."
• 2985. Sunk costs of conspiracy theories. These theories cause people to jump to conclusions, after which they feel burdened to defend them rather than admit being wrong.
• 2377. Believe in something even if others won't. That way you're not a part of a conspiracy.
• 2346. Ambiguity as a driver of conspiracy theories. Examples include the "recent monoliths," where a lack of clarity invites conspiratorial explanation.
• 2338. Frames of mind. Once a person adopts the "frame of mind" of a conspiracy theory, it may be impossible to return to standard perspectives.
• 2302. Conspiracies are like traffic jams. They introduce delays and disturbances into connected social systems.
• 2301. Conspiracies arise when trust declines.
• 2235. Silent prayer (sometimes) silences conspiracy. One might even be "conspiring with yourself."
• 2234. Conspiracies are better as 'duets' or 'trios'. In these smaller formats, the "harmony is more transparent" compared to large ensembles or "choirs."
• 2233. The 'Heat' of the conspiracy experience. Conspiracies fan the flames of uncertainty and anxiety, leading to a state where people are "conspiring but not sure why."
• 2115. Artificial truth. Conspiracy theories grow when connection points between pieces of information are made artificially in large numbers.
• 1868. Any kind of group singing is a 'conspiracy'.
• 1542. Art and conspiracy. The sources note that art often includes or hints at conspiracy, but to be effective, it should parody them without appearing to do so.
• 1260. Evergreen conspiracies. Cites the idea that aliens landed on Mars and left monuments as a persistent example.
• 1205. Universal misperceptions. Suggests that even intelligent beings on other planets would misperceive the universe through conspiracies and misinformation.
• 1191. Prevailing beliefs. In areas where direct perception is missing, conspiracy theories and supernatural beliefs tend to prevail.
• 0614. It's fun to be wrong together and conspire to be right. Rallying around an idea can release dopamine and oxytocin, acting as a natural antidepressant.
• 0046. Manufactured controversy. Mentions how film and media can manufacture the belief in UFOs and other controversies taken as vetted truth.
• 3400. Vulnerability to conspiracy thinking. Nihilism and addictive behaviors, hijacked by anxiety, make people vulnerable to conspiratorial meaning-making.