Things that I have seen recently:
International space station doesn't exist
Holocaust did not happen
Moon landing are a hoax
9/11 conspiracy shit
Nukes don't exist
and of course:
The flat earth society
Oh, yes. All sort of ludicrous nutcase conspiracy theories out there. Let's also not forget:
* The CIA engaged in illegal mind control experiments using drugs on human subjects without their knowledge or consent
* The CIA proposed committing acts of terrorism against US civilian targets with intent to frame it on Cuba to start a war
* The president's administration arranged an office break-in and then attempted to cover it up
* The US and UK governments conspired together and overthrew a democratically elected government in pursuit of oil interests
I mean, who would believe crazy stuff like that, right?
Conspiracy theories and the failure of reason
I don't think it's really "conspiracy theories" or "failure of reason" that you're objecting to, though. It's
consensus culture. The official explanation and consensus belief about 911 is that it was a conspiracy. The official explanation and consensus belief about Watergate is that it was a conspiracy. You probably don't question these consensus beliefs. It's not "conspiracy theories" you're objecting to. It's non-consensus belief.
But why do you believe the things you do? Why do you disbelieve the things you don't? What magic portal to objective reality do you claim access to? "Other people believe X" and "I was taught X" are not good reasons to believe in X. If you grew up surrounded by people who believed in a
magical bearded sky faerie who gets angry when you masturbate and lived your life being taught to belief in it, you'd probably believe in it. If you grew up surrounded by people who believed in
bipedal lizard giants you'd probably believe in those too. And yet lots of people believe in magical sky faeries and bipedal lizard giants.
In fact, if you clicked one of those previous two links, you might even now be feeling an
irrational urge to defend the existence of one of those things, because
of course they're real and how dare anyone not believe what you do.
Examine that feeling.
why reason is failing to resolve the debate.
Because people generally don't believe what they believe because of reasons. They beleive what they believe because they were trained to believe and think a certain way at a young and impressionable age. Very few people ever overcome early childhood training, and when they do, they don't do it for reasons of logic or evidence. They do it because of
emotion.
No amount of a logic or evidence will convince a trained athiest to believe in god. No amount of logic or evidence will convince a trained religious person to give up belief in god.
But oh....one
emotionally significant event in their lives, and lots of people will change their beliefs.
Reason is not "resolving the debate" because reason is not a particularly significant force in the process of belief.