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A Conspiracy Theory For Thee

There was an earthquake in Mexico on Monday. The swine flu has killed around 150 people there already. A man interviewed by the media had the following to say: “the economic crisis, the illnesses, and now this — it feels like the Apocalypse.” Another man said that if the world were coming to an end, it is God’s plan.

This sentiment is pervasive these days. The economic downturn, the constant threat of global warming, daily news of natural disasters and pandemic diseases: there is plenty to fear. But amidst this fear, do you feel there is a cause to it? Are all of these things related?

Much of our daily mental life is involved with representing the world around us. Identifying cause and effect, relations between objects, and the translation of our experiences into abstract representations. Unfortunately, this is an imperfect process, and leads to quirks when used inappropriately. It explains what psychologists call the “Gambler’s Fallacy” (where a sequence of six heads in a row is deemed less probable than three heads and three tails)—an attempt to find structure where none exists.