5:30 PM-7:00 PM
Ted Daigle Auditorium

Dr. Daniel Adsett will speak about conspiracy theories during the public lecture “What's so Irrational about Conspiracy Theories? A Jaspersian Account" on January 8, 2026 at 5:30 PM in the Ted Daigle Auditorium.

In the political and social spheres, we are continually confronted with questionable claims, many of which arise from conspiratorial thinking – that the government is hiding something, that scientists have collaborated to deceive us, that forces beyond our control are covertly governing our lives. Such conspiratorial thinking we often deem ‘irrational.’ But what is it about conspiratorial thinking that makes it irrational? It’s often said that such thinking is irrational because it is not based on evidence or it is incoherent. Drawing from Karl Jaspers’ understanding of irrationality, however, Daniel Adsett suggest that the problem is more fundamental – that irrationality refers to a failure to genuinely consider the possibility of being wrong. Irrationality, in other words, names a failure of the will, a refusal to engage in real conversations with those with whom one disagrees.

Dr. Daniel Adsett is a STU alumnus who is now an assistant professor teaching business ethics and philosophy at the American University in Bulgaria.