Why we fall for conspiracy thinking, and what really drives the events in our world.
I like Kirby. He had previously made a great documentary called Everything is a Remix (free video, 35 minutes). It was slick and well produced. I was interested when he said he was making a new documentary. This one is more ambitious and so is not free. I’ve been enjoying watching it. Here, I’ve collected all the free content I can for this documentary series, and will keep it updated. With these links you can decide if This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory is for you.
Here’s a list of what I’ve collected: The first episode is available for free. I have clips and trailers for other episodes. There is a presentation with Q&A that Kirby gave during the development process. And finally, I have a previous video he has made about conspiracy theories. If you like what you are see and you like the above Remix video, I’d recommend buying the series.
The Guardian has an article that describes the documentary.
Episode 1
Trailers and Clips
Presentation on Conspiracy Theories
I remember when the first episode of ‘This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory’ came out. I watched it and wondered ‘what is this about? What is the point of view? I liked Everything is a Remix. But will this new documentary be good?’ It was the following two videos that compelled me to purchase ‘This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory.’
The first is a presentation he gave on conspiracy theories.
The second video that helped me decide to purchase the series was this much older video that I watched and liked. When I watched these two videos I thought Kirby might be on the right track, and I’d be interested to see where he is going.
In ‘This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory’ Kirby doesn’t claim that conspiracy theorists are stupid, but in fact are trying to be very rational. They are applying the methods of science to history but end up connecting the dots wrong. (This happens through confirmation bias and cherry picking.)
In this video, a younger Kirby claims that the reason conspiracy theories spread so quickly is because they are better stories: stories that are more interesting and more memorable. To extend what he says, conspiracy theories have clear villains with clear intentions. And that just sits better with us than the truth.
If you it looks worthwhile to you, you can buy This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory.