It feels like the COVID-19 pandemic launched a thousand conspiracies. From microchips in the vaccines, to using bleach to treat the virus, to a shadowy cabal controlling it all, vast swaths of America fell prey to false thinking.

But it has also enflamed a conspiracy theory that has nothing to do with viruses and vaccines.

Journalist Kelly Weill has covered flat-Earthers for years. In her new book, “Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything,” she says the flat Earth movement is a microcosm of how and why conspiracy theories thrive and spread.

On this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, Weill and MPR News host Kerri Miller had a fascinating discussion about the culture of conspiracy, why flat-Earthers believe what they do, and why presenting the facts to true believers doesn’t usually change their minds.

Guest:

• Kelly Weill is a journalist at the “Daily Beast,” where she covers extremism, disinformation, and the internet. Her new book is “Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything.”

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above. 

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