The Covid-19 pandemic that started in early 2020 brought to public attention the
commonalities between violent extremists and Covid deniers and conspiracists.
Extremist groups across the political spectrum embraced a variety of conspiracy theories on the Covid-19 pandemic, and far-right movements assumed the forefront of the spreading of Covid-19-related conspiracies. This convergence of violent extremists and conspiracists has been explored from a variety of approaches and methodologies across disciplines. This paper particularly focuses on the dimension of narrativity and explores the psychological grounds on which these groups stand. Drawing on the latest research on social psychology, behavioural science, and cognitive science, the reasons behind the relatively easy distribution of these narratives are explained. Four major contributing factors are addressed: uncertainty and the need for cognitive closure (NFCC), certitude, attitude extremity and polarisation, and narrativity. It is argued that narratives of conspiracism and violent extremism resonate with intuitive and fast thinking patterns by providing simple explanations and models in response to complex and multifaceted questions. Their narratives communicate effectively with hard-wired, often automated, intuitive patterns of thinking inherent to the human cognitive system. In contrast, scientific and critical thinking requires analytical skills, the ability to process complexity, and openness to ambiguity, all involving effort, training, and education. Thus, belief in narratives of conspiracism and violent extremism requires less effort than scientific explanations and evidence-based enquiries. Belief in science is like running uphill; it requires us to spend enormous mental resources to overcome our inherited thinking patterns and cognitive processes.
About the Author
Mahmoud Pargoo
Research Fellow, Alfred Deakin Institute, Deakin University
& Visiting Fellow, School of Computing, Macquarie University
Mahmoud Pargoo, PhD, is a philosopher and social scientist and a Research Fellow at Alfred Deakin Institute (ADI), Deakin University. His scholarship includes two books and numerous articles published by Cambridge University Press, Harvard University Press, and Routledge, among others. Mahmoud is also a Visiting Fellow at the School of Computing, Macquarie University, where he investigates the interdisciplinary applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in social and behavioural sciences.
