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Cautionary Conversation: The Conspiracy Theorist Who Changed His Mind

Cautionary Conversation: The Conspiracy Theorist Who Changed His Mind

FromCautionary Tales with Tim Harford


Cautionary Conversation: The Conspiracy Theorist Who Changed His Mind

FromCautionary Tales with Tim Harford

ratings:
Length:
41 minutes
Released:
Oct 21, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Charlie Veitch was certain that 9/11 was an inside job. The attack on the World Trade Center wasn't the work of Al-Qaeda, but an elaborate conspiracy. He became a darling of so-called "9/11 truthers" - until he actually visited Ground Zero to meet architects, engineers and the relatives of the dead. The trip changed his mind... there was no conspiracy.  
His fellow "truthers" did not take Charlie's conversion well. 
David McRaney (host of You Are Not So Smart and author of How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion and Persuasion) joins Tim Harford to discuss what happened to Charlie Veitch; what it tells us about those who hold strong beliefs even in the face of damning contrary evidence; and why persuasion isn't always the right answer.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Released:
Oct 21, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.