Apophenia is the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data. The term was coined in 1958 by Klaus Conrad, who defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections" accompanied by a "specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness". Conrad originally described this phenomenon in relation to the distortion of reality present in psychosis, but it has become more widely used to describe this tendency in healthy individuals without necessarily implying ...

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Perception - History of the study of perception Perception - Perception and reality

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Many cognitive psychologists hold that, as we move about in the world, we create a model of how the world works. That is, we sense the objective world, but our sensations map to percepts, and these percepts are provisional, in the same sense that scientific hypotheses are provisional (cf. in the scientific method). As we acquire new information, our percepts shift. Abraham Pais' biography refers to the 'esemplastic' nature of imagination. In the case of visual perception, some people can actually see the percept shift in their mind's eye. Ot ...

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Perception, Perception - History of the study of perception, Perception - Perception and reality

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Simulacrum (plural: simulacra), from the Latin simulare, "to make like, to put on an appearance of", originally meaning a material object representing something (such as an idol representing a deity, or a painted still-life of a bowl of fruit). By the 1800s it developed a sense of a "mere" image, an empty form devoid of spirit, and descended to connote a specious or fallow representation. In the book Simulacra and Simulation (1981/1995), the French social theorist Jean Baudrillard gave the term a specific m ...

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Simulacrum - Science fiction and fantasy literature Simulacrum - Occult uses Simulacrum - See Also Simulacrum - Simulacra in art

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A conspiracy theory attempts to explain the cause of an event as a secret, and often deceptive, plot by a covert alliance rather than as an overt activity or natural occurrence. The term "conspiracy theory" is used by scholars and in popular culture to identify a type of folklore similar to an urban legend, having certain regular features, especially an explanatory narrative which is constructed with cert ...

Including:

Conspiracy theory - Overview Conspiracy theory - Features Conspiracy theory - Origins of conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theory - Psychological origins Conspiracy theory - Sociopolitical origins
Conspiracy theory - Controversies
Conspiracy theory - Usage Conspiracy theory - The truth of a conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories in fiction Conspiracy theory - Notes
Conspiracy theory - Regularly produce allegations of conspiracies Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories by topic or main figure Conspiracy theory - Assassination Conspiracy theory - Celebrity deaths Conspiracy theory - Politics-related deaths

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There is also a numerical pattern discovered by Anon Castillo using 2, 3, 5, and 23 and including 17, where you add one and two, then add an increasing number to each sum: 1 + 2 = 3 2 + 3 = 5 3 + 5 = 8 (or 2^3) 4 + 8 = 12 5 + 12 = 17 6 + 17 = 23 7 + 23 = 30 (or 2 * 3 * 5) This pattern (sequence A089071 in OEIS) consists of the Triangular numbers plus 2. ...

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23 numerology, 23 numerology - A 23 enigma list, 23 numerology - 23 pattern

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The feeling of making a connection where there is none has been described as apophenia. Aspects of the subjective experience of schizophrenia have much in common with the subjective experience of synchronicity, in the sense that ordinary events are seen as having a direct personal relevance to the schizophrenic, but are seen as 'normal' by non-schizophrenics. Many psychoses are similar to schizophrenia but can last for a very short time, such as in rare instances from nicotine withdrawal (as an examp ...

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Synchronicity, Synchronicity - Example, Synchronicity - Study, Synchronicity - Criticism, Synchronicity - Alternative explanations, Synchronicity - Notes, Synchronicity - Trivia

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Another usage, so far specific to Fantasy and Science Fiction is the android that is specifically intended to impersonate another creature (usually a human being). Many stories that include Simulacra share several common themes: Simulacra are always imperfect copies. Simulacra are distinguishable from the original, because they are based on an idealized form of that which was copied. There is a desire on the part of the Simulacrum to either be more like the original (i. ...

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Simulacrum, Simulacrum - Science fiction and fantasy literature, Simulacrum - Occult uses, Simulacrum - See Also, Simulacrum - Simulacra in art

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The term "conspiracy theory" may be a neutral descriptor for a conspiracy claim. However, conspiracy theory is also used to indicate a narrative genre that includes a broad selection of (not necessarily related) arguments for the existence of grand conspiracies, any of which might have far-reaching social and political implications if true. Many conspiracy theories are false, or lack enough verifiable evidence to be taken seriously, raising the intriguing question of what mechanisms might exist in popular culture that lead to t ...

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Conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Overview, Conspiracy theory - Features, Conspiracy theory - Origins of conspiracy theories, Conspiracy theory - Psychological origins, Conspiracy theory - Sociopolitical origins, Conspiracy theory - Controversies, Conspiracy theory - Usage, Conspiracy theory - The truth of a conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories in fiction, Conspiracy theory - Notes, Conspiracy theory - Regularly produce allegations of conspiracies, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories by topic or main figure, Conspiracy theory - Assassination, Conspiracy theory - Celebrity deaths, Conspiracy theory - Politics-related deaths

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Humans naturally respond to events or situations which have had an emotional impact upon them by trying to make sense of those events, typically in spiritual, moral, political, or scientific terms. Events which seem to resist such interpretation—for example, because they are, in fact, unexplainable—may provoke the inquirer to look harder for a meaning, until one is reached that is capable of offering the inquirer the required emotional satisfaction. As sociological historian Holger Herwig found in studying German explanations of W ...

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Conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Overview, Conspiracy theory - Features, Conspiracy theory - Origins of conspiracy theories, Conspiracy theory - Psychological origins, Conspiracy theory - Sociopolitical origins, Conspiracy theory - Controversies, Conspiracy theory - Usage, Conspiracy theory - The truth of a conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories in fiction, Conspiracy theory - Notes, Conspiracy theory - Regularly produce allegations of conspiracies, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories by topic or main figure, Conspiracy theory - Assassination, Conspiracy theory - Celebrity deaths, Conspiracy theory - Politics-related deaths

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Main article: Conspiracy theories (fictional) Conspiracies are a popular theme in several genres of fiction, notably thrillers and science fiction, primarily due to their dramatic potential: recasting complex or meaningless historical events into relatively simple morality plays, in which bad people are the cause of bad events, and good people face the relatively simple task of identifying and defeating them. Compared to the subtlety and complexity of more rigorous sociological or historical accounts of events, conspiracy theor ...

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Conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Overview, Conspiracy theory - Features, Conspiracy theory - Origins of conspiracy theories, Conspiracy theory - Psychological origins, Conspiracy theory - Sociopolitical origins, Conspiracy theory - Controversies, Conspiracy theory - Usage, Conspiracy theory - The truth of a conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories in fiction, Conspiracy theory - Notes, Conspiracy theory - Regularly produce allegations of conspiracies, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories by topic or main figure, Conspiracy theory - Assassination, Conspiracy theory - Celebrity deaths, Conspiracy theory - Politics-related deaths

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Aside from controversies over the merits of particular conspiracy claims (see catalog below), and the various differing academic opinions (above), the general category of conspiracy theory is itself a matter of some public contestation. Conspiracy theory - Usage. The term "conspiracy theory" is considered by different observers to be a neutral description for a conspiracy claim, a pejorative term used to dismiss such a claim, and a term that can be positively embraced by proponents of such a claim. ...

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Conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Overview, Conspiracy theory - Features, Conspiracy theory - Origins of conspiracy theories, Conspiracy theory - Psychological origins, Conspiracy theory - Sociopolitical origins, Conspiracy theory - Controversies, Conspiracy theory - Usage, Conspiracy theory - The truth of a conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories in fiction, Conspiracy theory - Notes, Conspiracy theory - Regularly produce allegations of conspiracies, Conspiracy theory - Conspiracy theories by topic or main figure, Conspiracy theory - Assassination, Conspiracy theory - Celebrity deaths, Conspiracy theory - Politics-related deaths

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