BY MICHAEL SHERMER
This essay is derived from Lecture 1 of a 12-lecture course titled “Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories: What We Should Believe and Why” produced by the Teaching Company and Audible.com.
ON FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019 A 28-YEAR OLD Australian man wielding five firearms stormed two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and opened fire, killing 50 people and wounding dozens more. It was the worst mass public shooting in the history of that country, prompting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to reflect: “While the nation grapples with a form of grief and anger that we have not experienced before, we are seeking answers.”