I don’t talk about him much, but I have an older brother. Used to look up to him a lot… he left home when I was still very young (certainly too young to understand why he and my father argued all the time), and he has lived a very different life from mine. Certainly more adventurous.
About a decade ago he got really deep into some conspiracy theories. He’s still locked into a bunch of them, which is a shame. He is mostly a rational, intelligent guy… but there’s this massive blind spot when it comes to several well-established and easily countered conspiracies.
And before you say it: yes, I know that being able to disprove a conspiracy in no way stops people from believing them. There are lots of things that we can’t prove that people believe… it’s a fundamental cornerstone of many faiths. But it’s still frustrating!
Recently he’s been on a big “Aliens are real” kick, which as a scientist, is frustrating because it’s one of those “Yes, but” sorta conspiracies. Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? Definitely. Are there aliens somewhere in the Milky Way galaxy right now? Mathematically it’s possible… are they here, on Earth, right now? Well, there’s no real evidence of that (or, alternatively, there is exactly as much evidence for that as there is for the Flying Spaghetti Monster).
Anyway, just a rant. Work on the book is still stalled for another week, but I’ll get back to it. I really miss writing.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!