The existence of climate change has been a heated debate between scientists and the public. Portions of the public do not believe in climate change even if they have been presented with scientific evidence that supports it. The thought processes of those who do not believe in climate change can be seen through the development of conspiracy theories. The development involves the acquisition of information, the reasons for developing a theory, and the actual development of the theory. The concepts that are at the heart of this process can also be employed to move away from conspiracy theories. In order for the development of theories to be possible, information first needs to be acquired. Today’s world is based greatly on continually improving …show more content…
If an inadequate explanation is provided, people develop a new one, so they are always searching for the necessary cause. Although this adheres to Newton’s second rule of mathematical principles, it does not follow his first or fourth rules. According to Newton, when multiple explanations are provided for one process, the simplest one should be selected as the accurate one (398). Conspiracy theorists do not follow this because the new ideas they create are not based in fact. Factual evidence is the simplest explanation because ideas not based in facts need to be explained more elaborately in order to impose a large understanding. Stephen Hawking once stated that the human race’s “best hope of survival was to live on other planets” (Ghosh). This statement is not supported by fact, and it can easily be questioned due to this. The basic questions of “how” and “why” can cause this seemingly simple idea to become a more complex one. Hawking “feared aggression was ‘inbuilt’ in humans” (Ghosh). This explanation is also not supported by fact, and this adds complexity to the idea which deems it the incorrect one to accept as true based on Newton’s first rule. Newton’s fourth rule leaves room for the development of new hypotheses (400). Conspiracy theories do not leave room for other hypotheses because they are not based in fact. New hypotheses can be based off of the knowledge acquired in an old one, but if no evidence exists, the idea cannot be used to create a new hypothesis. The development of conspiracy theories does not follow portions of the ideas of both Einstein and