scholarly journals Making sense of personal and global problems: an analysis of the writings and lectures of Rauni-Leena Luukanen-Kilde

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 344-349
Author(s):  
Tommy Ramstedt
Keyword(s):  
Belief System ◽  
School Shootings ◽  
Talk Shows ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Elite Group ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Problems ◽  
Theory View

Rauni-Leena Luukanen-Kilde (b. 1939) is a well-known figure in the Finnish alternative spiritual milieu. She is an author and lecturer on parapsychology and ufology and has been a guest on several talk shows in the Nordic countries. The topics discussed by Luukanen-Kilde range from the psychic abilities of mankind to visitations from extraterrestrial beings. Since the mid-1980s Luukanen-Kilde has developed conspiracy theories about an elite group governing the world in secret. Luukanen-Kilde is a bestselling author and draws audiences of several hundreds to her talks. Her conspiracy theory view of the world offers explanations for all kinds of personal, national, as well as global problems and disasters. Personal health problems, tragic incidents such as school shootings, economic crises and unemployment, earthquakes and floods can, according to her belief system, all be attributed to a single cause; namely to the actions of a clandestine, malevolent group. The popularity of Luukanen-Kilde’s books and lectures can be seen as an example of how people in late modernity are seeking alternative interpretations of themselves and of world events. 

scholarly journals Making Sense of the Pandemic with Classical Chinese Idioms

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashton Ng
Keyword(s):  
Future Generations ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The World ◽  
Classical Chinese ◽  
Chinese Intellectuals ◽  
Chinese Idioms

In antiquity, Chinese intellectuals knew the dangers of rumour-mongering and myopic, tribalistic thinking. Thus, they devised numerous idioms and allusions to warn future generations. Today, with anti-Chinese conspiracy theories spreading rampantly throughout the world, scholars on China must heed the warnings of the ancients and play our part in combating misinformation on China.

scholarly journals Conspiracy theories and pandemic management in Africa: critical reflections on contexts, contradictions and challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-59
Author(s):  
Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
The Political ◽  
Trust Building ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The People ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The World

The coronavirus pandemic, though primarily a health issue, has had significant social, economic and political implications across the world. There are reasons to believe that some of the changes occurring are likely to be permanent even in a post-pandemic world, and there are even suggestions that the world may be entering a phase in which pandemics become recurrent. Making sense of all that the pandemic has brought has by no means been easy, even for scientists who have had to review and revise their claims as new discoveries about the virus are made. One of the fallouts of the pandemic has been a proliferation of conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus, as well as efforts to contain it. Summed up, these theories of various shades allege that certain powerful forces are behind the pandemic, in pursuit of some narrow ends that range from the political to the religious. In this paper, I analyse conspiracy theories and the motivations behind them. Situating conspiracy theories within the pandemic, I argue that they are best understood not within the framework of a single theory but by an understanding of how diverse motivations generate different, even contradictory conspiratorial accounts. I argue that whereas conspiracy theories have become a feature of modern society, and have been amplified in the age of technology, they have low credibility value in explaining the pandemic, while having significant implications. I also argue that if left unchecked, conspiracy theories have the capacity to further undermine governments’ capacity to respond to big crises in Africa in the future. I conclude that conspiracy theories are best managed in a pandemic through consistent, transparent engagement rooted in trust-building between the people and governments, especially in Africa.

What We Call Misconceptions May Be Necessary Stepping-Stones Toward Making Sense of the World

Science Scope ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 039 (07) ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Campbell ◽  
Christina Schwarz ◽  
Mark Windschitl
Keyword(s):  
Stepping Stones ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The World

scholarly journals Just world beliefs, personal success and beliefs in conspiracy theories

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Furnham
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Composite Measure ◽  
Just World Beliefs ◽  
Just World ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The World ◽  
Personal Ideology ◽  
Personal Success

AbstractDo those who believe in conspiracy theories feel less happy and healthy than others? Do they believe the world is simply unjust? This study was concerned with how demographic factors, personal ratings of success, personal ideology (political and religious beliefs) and Just World Beliefs are related to Conspiracy Theories. In total, 406 participants completed two questionnaires: Just World scale (Rubin & Peplau, 1975) and Conspiracy Theories Inventory (Swami et al., 2010) and provided various personal details. The Just World Scale yielded two scores: Just and Unjust beliefs. Participants also reported on their health, happiness and success and a reliable composite measure of well-being was computed. A regression showed younger males, with Unjust World beliefs and politically right-wing views, were more likely to endorse Conspiracy Theories. The discussion revolved around explaining individual differences in accepting these theories. Implications and limitations are discussed.

scholarly journals Making sense of “superbugs” on YouTube: A storytelling approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 096366252198925
Author(s):  
Monika Djerf-Pierre ◽  
Mia Lindgren
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Social Media Platform ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
The World ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Youtube Videos ◽  
Health Experts

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. With the rapid growth of social media, YouTube has become an influential social media platform providing publics with expert health knowledge. This article explores how antimicrobial resistance is communicated on YouTube. Drawing on qualitative media analyses of the most viewed YouTube videos 2016–2020, we identify seven different genres and two main storytelling approaches, personalized and fictionalized storytelling, used to make sense of antimicrobial resistance and its complexities. The study contributes new knowledge about YouTube as a platform for health communication and the types of videos about antimicrobial resistance that gets most traffic. This is useful, not the least for public health experts working to improve communication strategies that target hard-to-reach media publics.

International Institutions and Political Liberalization: Evidence from the World Bank Loans Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1357-1379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Carnegie ◽  
Cyrus Samii
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
Bank Loans ◽  
Political Liberalization ◽  
Member States ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Elite Group ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
Level Of Economic Development

How do international institutions affect political liberalization in member states? Motivated by an examination of the World Bank loans program, this article shows that institutions can incentivize liberalization by offering opportunities for countries to become associated with advanced, wealthy members. In the World Bank, when a loan recipient reaches a specified level of economic development, it becomes eligible to graduate from borrower status to lender status. Using a regression discontinuity design, the study demonstrates that this incentive motivates states to improve their domestic behavior with respect to human rights and democracy. Combining qualitative and quantitative evidence, the results suggest that the desire to become a member of this elite group is responsible for motivating member states to reform due to the belief that such membership brings diffuse international and domestic benefits.

Governing Hate: Facebook and Digital Racism

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-130
Author(s):  
Eugenia Siapera ◽  
Paloma Viejo-Otero
Keyword(s):  
Hate Speech ◽  
Silicon Valley ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Ideological Position ◽  
Material Parameters ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The World ◽  
Logistical Problem

This article is concerned with identifying the ideological and techno-material parameters that inform Facebook’s approach to racism and racist contents. The analysis aims to contribute to studies of digital racism by showing Facebook’s ideological position on racism and identifying its implications. To understand Facebook’s approach to racism, the article deconstructs its governance structures, locating racism as a sub-category of hate speech. The key findings show that Facebook adopts a post-racial, race-blind approach that does not consider history and material differences, while its main focus is on enforcement, data, and efficiency. In making sense of these findings, we argue that Facebook’s content governance turns hate speech from a question of ethics, politics, and justice into a technical and logistical problem. Secondly, it socializes users into developing behaviors/contents that adapt to race-blindness, leading to the circulation of a kind of flexible racism. Finally, it spreads this approach from Silicon Valley to the rest of the world.

Creating Conspiracy Beliefs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolores Albarracin ◽  
Julia Albarracin ◽  
Man-pui Sally Chan ◽  
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Ideological Bias ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Disciplinary Perspective ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Media ◽  
Information Sciences

Conspiracy theories spread more widely and faster than ever before. Fear and uncertainty prompt people to believe false narratives of danger and hidden plots, but are not sufficient without considering the role and ideological bias of the media. This timely book focuses on making sense of how and why some people respond to their fear of a threat by creating or believing conspiracy stories. It integrates insights from psychology, political science, communication, and information sciences to provide a complete overview and theory of how conspiracy beliefs manifest. Through this multi-disciplinary perspective, rigoros research develops and tests a practical, simple way to frame and understand conspiracy theories. The book supplies unprecedented amounts of new data from six empirical studies and unpicks the complexity of the process that leads to the empowerment of conspiracy beliefs.

Islamic Discourses of Environmental Change on the Swahili Coast of Southern Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-60
Author(s):  
Justin Raycraft
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Belief System ◽  
Social Suffering ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Swahili Coast ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Depth Interviews

This paper addresses how Makonde Muslim villagers living on the Swahili coast of southern Tanzania conceptualize and discuss environmental change. Through narratives elicited during in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, I show that respondents associate various forms of environmental change—ecological, climatic, political, and socioeconomic—with God’s plan. Respondents had a sound grasp of the material workings of their lived realities and evoked religious causality to fill in the residual explanatory gaps and find meaning in events that were otherwise difficult to explain. Such narratives reveal both a culturally engrained belief system that colors people’s understandings of change and uncertainty and a discursive idiom for making sense of social suffering. On an applied note, I submit that social science approaches to studying environmental change must take into account political and economic contexts relative to local cosmologies, worldviews, and religious faiths, which may not disaggregate the environment into distinct representational categories.

scholarly journals Yoruba Customs and Beliefs Pertaining to Twins

Twin Research ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernand Leroy ◽  
Taiwo Olaleye-Oruene ◽  
Gesina Koeppen-Schomerus ◽  
Elizabeth Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Belief System ◽  
Traditional Religion ◽  
The West ◽  
Traditional Beliefs ◽  
Southwestern Nigeria ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The World ◽  
African Slaves ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Supreme Deity

AbstractThe Yoruba are an important ethnic group mainly occupying Southwestern Nigeria. Mainly for genetic reasons, this very large tribe happens to present the highest dizygotic twinning rate in the world (4.4 % of all maternities). The high perinatal mortality rate associated with such pregnancies has contributed to the integration of a special twin belief system within the African traditional religion of this tribe. The latter is based on the concept of a supreme deity called Olodumare or Olorun, assisted by a series of secondary gods (Orisha) while Yoruba religion also involves immortality and reincarnation of the soul based on the animistic cult of ancestors. Twins are therefore given special names and believed to detain special preternatural powers. In keeping with their refined artistic tradition, the Yoruba have produced numerous wooden statuettes called Ibejis that represent the souls of deceased newborn twins and are involved in elaborate rituals. Among Yoruba traditional beliefs and lore some twin-related themes are represented which are also found in other parts of the world. Basic features of the original Yoruba beliefs have found their way into the religious traditions of descendants of African slaves imported in the West Indies and in South America.

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