Are Conspiracy Theories a Surrogate for God?

Wood, Michael J. and Douglas, Karen (2019) Are Conspiracy Theories a Surrogate for God? In: Dyrendal, A and Robertson, D and Asprem, E, eds. Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion . Brill. E-ISBN 978-90-04-38202-2. (doi:10.1163/9789004382022) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided)

Abstract

The decline of traditional religion in the West has been matched by a rise in the visibility of conspiracy theories. Are conspiracy theories therefore a replacement for religious belief in an increasingly secular society? Conspiracy theories seem to fulfil some of the psychological needs addressed by religion, such as imposing a sense of order and agency upon the world, and the two seem to share some of the same psychological predispositions. Many conspiracy beliefs have parallels in content and structure to religious beliefs: some propose an Edenic existence that was corrupted by a conspiracy, while others anticipate an apocalypse that will be either brought about or welcomed by a conspiracy. In this chapter, we take a psychological perspective on the parallels between religion and conspiracy theory, and discussing how the two types of belief systems complement and contradict one another.

Item Type:	Book section
DOI/Identification number:	10.1163/9789004382022
Divisions:	Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Psychology Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Psychology > Social Psychology
Depositing User:	Karen Douglas
Date Deposited:	30 May 2019 12:47 UTC
Last Modified:	04 Jun 2019 15:09 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/74175 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)