Why did conspiracy theories become so important during the COVID-19 pandemic?

All societies have to deal with misfortunes, such as illness and disease. The development of science has facilitated a rational approach to misfortunes by identifying the ‘real’ causes of illness and diseases and providing effective technologies for controlling them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rational science explanations were challenged by conspiracy theories, narratives in which such events are the result of malevolent actions of powerful secret groups. The rapid scientific response to COVID-19 was accompanied by a strong push-back from conspiracy theorists who attacked scientific knowledge and scientists, and presented alternative narratives in which COVID was a fraud or a weapon.

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