"Betrayal from Within"? Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories and How Many Knesset Seats Are They Worth?
A podcast episode of "Ad HaKatz" examines the phenomenon of conspiracy theories in Israel, three years after October 7 and just before the elections. Participants Chen Lieberman and Dr. Adam Klin Oron discuss the need they fulfill, their flourishing in times of crisis, and the role of social media and politicians in turning them into a force that threatens social solidarity.
A podcast episode of "Ad HaKatz" deeply examines the phenomenon of conspiracy theories in Israel, three years after October 7 and just before the elections. The episode opens with an anecdote about Keren Neubach, who was with a bereaved family that believed in "betrayal from within," and about a taxi driver who claimed that Shin Bet personnel in the Gaza envelope received early warning. Participants Chen Lieberman and Dr. Adam Klin Oron, an anthropologist of belief systems from the Van Leer Institute, discuss the psychological need these theories fulfill, their flourishing precisely in times of crisis, and the role of social media and politicians in turning them into a force that threatens to dismantle social solidarity. The episode offers a socio-cultural analysis of the phenomenon.