Why do some people believe conspiracy theories? It’s not just who or what they know. It’s a matter of intellectual character. Written by Dr. Quassim Cassam Identify the author’s thesis an

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Why do some people believe conspiracy theories? It’s not just who or what they know. It’s a matter of intellectual character.
Written by Dr. Quassim Cassam
Identify the author’s thesis and purpose
Analyze the structure of the passage by identifying all main ideas
Consult a dictionary or encyclopedia to understand the material that is unfamiliar to you
Describe a description of it
Describe a summary of the work
Determine the purpose which could be
To inform with factual material
To persuade with an appeal to reason or emotions
To entertain (to affect people’s emotions)
Evaluate the means by which the author has accomplished his purpose
If the purpose is to inform, has the material been presented clearly, accurately, with order and coherence?
If the purpose is to persuade, look for evidence, logical reasoning, contrary evidence
If the purpose was to entertain, determine how emotions are affected: does it make you laugh, cry, angry? Why did it affect you?
How is the material organized? Who is the intended audience? What are the writer’s assumptions about the audience? What kind of language and imagery does the author use?
Are there any fallacies in the author’s argument? Any inflammatory words that sound bias?