Conspiracy Theory

  • A conspiracy theory is an explanatory or speculative hypothesis suggesting that two or more persons, or an organization, have conspired to cause or cover up, through secret planning and deliberate action an event or situation typically regarded as illegal or harmful.

Conspiracy Theories….

  • have been around for as long as society

  • are often believed by rational people (“conspiracy thinking”)

  • May not be more prevalent today but may seem like it because they spread much faster in modern society (internet)

  • most aren’t a “threat” to society - the “dangerous” ones are believed by the smallest amount of people and they are usually harmless (but a few aren’t - ex.’s “pizzagate” Washington DC, McVeigh, Waco)

  • “Facts” do change most people’s minds about these theories if they are exposed to them

Reasons for the popularity of conspiracy theories

  • even though most have been shown to be false, some have turned out to be true in the past (eg’s - the gulf of tonkin incident, the Tuskegee syphilis experiment)

  • Most conspiracy theories have at least an element of truth in them

  • the age of the internet (exposed to more info, theories more widely shared)

  • many people are “losing faith” (or some never had faith) in traditional social institutions such as government and religion

  • personal psychological needs - the need to “feel special” (that you know something others don’t) the need for “uniqueness”

  • losing political parties - if your preferred political party is out of power, you are more likely to believe conspiracy theories (often involving why the party is out of power…)

4 Types of “Event Conspiracy Theories” (Michael barkin - they focus on a single event)

  • Exploited Event - the “glad it happened” theory (event is genuine, “conspires” also surprised it happened, then immediately begin to exploit the event)

  • Allowed Event - the “let it happen” theory (event is genuine, “conspires” know it is going to happen ahead of time and could have stopped it but allow it to happen in order to exploit it)

  • Deliberate Event - the “made it happen” theory (event is genuine, “conspires” made it happen)

  • Faked Event - the “it didn’t happen” theory (event is a concoction of government and the media - we live in a constructed reality)