Mythicism, Creationism, and other Conspiracy Theories

Mythicism, Creationism, and other Conspiracy Theories August 19, 2015

I was made aware of a post by John Anthony Dunne, asking whether there is any parallel in Judaism for what Richard Carrier and other mythicists claim that Paul believed, namely that a celestial being died in the celestial realm. Presumably the closest Carrier can offer is his claim that Adam was buried in the third heaven – although even that claim is open to dispute. How would you answer the question Dunne asks?

Lee Basham and Matthew Dentith wrote a piece arguing against the prevailing view that conspiracy theorists are gullible. I think that is right – in the sense that they are very selectively gullible while in certain areas they are extremely skeptical. But I am not persuaded by the overall tone of the piece, suggesting that conspiracy theories are not problematic. But perhaps I just need to read Dentith’s book, The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories. What do others make of that article, or the book if you’ve read it?

God of Evolution shared a meme that I think gets at the heart of what I’ve said above. The issue is selectively appealing to mainstream sources. Young-earth creationists will say “See, I told you so” when a scientist says something they can spin as supporting their view. 9/11 Truthers will happily try to prove a media cover-up using video clips the media made available.


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