Chapter 8: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Chapter 8: Neil deGrasse Tyson - Conspiracy Theories and Skepticism

"A Conspiracy Theorist admits they do not have data to prove their point."
"Tell them (a conspiracy theorist) to come back when they have the data."
"If an argument lasts more than 5 minutes, both sides are wrong."
-Neil deGrasse Tyson

The quotes above come from Tyson's presentation to a conference referred to as the "I,Skeptic" conference. In short, he was filled in a room with skeptics and he had to cater to his audience. 

Let's look at the three italicized points by Tyson, and in short, see where he missteps. What this does not account for is how conspiracy theories have penetrated the academic circles of research. This also does not account for the work of individuals who claim that they have obtained the truth. The work of Seymour Hersh as he broke the stories of the My Lai Massacre in Southeast Asia and the Abu Gharib Prison scandal in Iraq are to name a few. They told him to come back with the data, and he did. The theories were real. 

Let's address Tyson's statements with 3 specific points. 

1) Many conspiracy theorists do indeed claim to have the sufficient data.
2) The whole reason they write books or make documentaries is because they believe they have a point to prove and the information to support that point. 
3) If an argument lasts more than 5 minutes both sides are wrong? This statement is not correct. Think about legal arguments, court cases that go on months, lawyers are arguing back and forth whether or not someone committed a crime, but there is a definite answer. 

In argumentation and debate, this can happen all the time. Arguments can last longer than 5 minutes, and one side might have the factual accuracy to support their claim.

Moreover, many theorists do not present their arguments in debates. They often do so over the course of hundreds of pages in books, giving detailed information, as well as presenting their work to audiences in lecture format. Skeptics and Theorists function alike in this way.

When dealing with some of the more extraordinary and infamous conspiracy theories, let's look at some other examples.

Perhaps the statements above come from someone who has never encountered the work of Dr. Webster Tarpley, James Fetzer and the Scholars for 9/11 Truth Movement, and Richard Gage of Architects and Structural Engineers for 9/11 Truth. All of these mentioned individuals and organizations claim to have the sufficient data. Even the work of Alex Jones claims to have at least proven the official narrative on many different conspiracy theories to be false. 

These statements appear to come from someone who has not spent a long time with conspiracy theories and listened to many theorists from the academic circles (no, that does not include Alex Jones). 

To elaborate, let's look at how more of the academic conspiracy theories work. When listening to a presentation on any major conspiracy theory, a more academic-style conspiracy theorist may argue that they do indeed have all the sufficient data to prove their point and uphold their argument. 

This is done by use of what is called "personal analysis."
It is not to say that academic conspiracy theorists are always right, but they are using an argumentative academic model, saying this my idea and these are the supporting points. Then, many of them will fill in the holes with material, which they believe is missing. 

Look out for the term, "this is my personal analysis of what happened."

One of the most difficult things trying to understand when examining the theories of an academic conspiracy expert is to find where the personal analysis begins and where the actualities end. In short, there is an enormous amount of material in the academic circles relating to conspiracy theories, which is possibly true. Conspiracy theorists are not always wrong. Many conspiracies do turn out to be true. The internet is filled with them, and the United States government even admits them (Gulf of Tonkin, elements of the Kennedy Assassination, the failure of National Security on 9/11, the Deep State/Shadow Government, mass voter manipulation, and MK Ultra to name a few). 

When it comes to skeptics such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, one should always be aware that he is often catering to his audience of skeptics. In the same speech he gave denouncing conspiracy theories, he also praised bookstores for providing an Atheist section. This came from the same person who stated that he is not an atheist. He even changed his own Wikipedia page from atheist to agnostic himself, and someone else changed it back, but sometimes people just want to get cheers from the crowd. 

It is very important to be critical of conspiracy theories. It is important to examine them in many ways and to respond with strong criticism. If someone is promoting the notion that there is a plot to destroy your country and take over the government, decipher the information and learn what message they are trying to say, yet to say that all theorists have insufficient data does not reflect how many academic conspiracy theorists work. If you ask many of them to present the hard data, they will present it to you with ease. If you ask them for a clear conclusion, they will present that with ease as well. 

Let's be critical, but not misrepresent what conspiracy theorists say and how they conduct their research.






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