I just looked back at the original quote.
And I haven’t countered that. I did point out that it is damaging to men’s sexual potency and testosterone. So one part of the idea is correct. IOW someone reading what you wrote would likely think it’s just a silly idea as a whole. The issue of whether is part of an agenda, yes, I haven’t shown that. And I suppose I am agnostic. There is so much evidence that fluoride is damaging and still it is used ends up being a kind of passive conspiracy at a minimum. But that is, yes, still a distance from an agenda based decision. I didn’t remember you having the part about the agenda.
Well, it’s the context. And I just looked at the work I would have to do. REquote Gloominary’s post, your response, my response in a couple of posts. And I am too lazy.
Let me put it this way, setting aside the issue of whether you have presented something false there.
When people talk about the uneducated or cognitive biases, the implicit logic in the former accusation, is that if more educated people believe something, it is the case. I think that depends on the kind of fact it is, and it is an argument we cannot draw any conclusions on in any specific case. So the argument functions as a general dismissal, when it should not. It is ad hom, so it is not relevent to any specific case.
The second accusation, that it has to do with cognitive biases, certainly has merit, in certain kinds of patterns of belief, but again it is ad hom. It is focussing on the believers and not the specific arguments and best proponents. But further it assumes that not believing in a specific conspiracy theory is bias free. There is tremendous cognitive dissonence around noticing when there are systematic problems - at least for those for whom that creates cognitive dissonence, which is many people.
Further everyone believes in conspiracies, and every group has believed in fake ones. Not all members, but the groups as a whole.
You may not have meant it as I took it.
I read your psychologizing of the issue and class-judging the issue as an ad hom dismissal of both the believers and the theories. IOW look at the group in general, evaluate THEM, dismiss the specific conspiracies (alone with anyone who believes in CTs not accepted or promoted by mainstream media)
That may not have been a fair read.