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A Definition of Conspiracy Theory
I forget who made the comment, but the other day somebody said that something like Atlantis or UFO’s isn’t technically a conspiracy theory - unless there’s some kind of official cover-up that goes along with it. I would have never thought to make that distinction myself, but it’s an interesting one. What actually constitutes a conspiracy theory? How do you tell if something is or isn’t one? I tend to just use the term really broadly myself to include anything that’s really weird or unusual and seems to indicate some kind of secrets or secret activity. Maybe the best explanation I’ve seen so far though comes from “human?”:
at this point it seems that anyone who chooses to educate themselves outside of the established system of education ends up a conspiracy theorist.
In a lot of ways, it seems that conspiracy theory is merely the epithet hurled at people who venture away from approved sources and mainstream approaches to information. And it’s designed to instantly discredit the conclusions and possibilities they come up with by invalidating their methodology. Interestingly, this slanderous use of the label seems to get turned around by conspiracy theorists who often end up wearing the name proudly - sort of like how “nigger” or “queer” got adopted and inverted by the communities they were meant to put down.
Anyway, are these good definitions of conspiracy theory? Should the definition include in it some kind of statement of purpose: something about finding the truth, or championing justice, blah blah blah. You catch my drift. What else should it include, if anything?
July 17th, 2005 at 2:12 pm
i think the most meaningful definition of conspiracy theory has to do with secrecy and deception in the exercise of power. since an individual can conspire all alone in this sense, the legal definition of conspiracy would not strictly apply.
the web is bringing much conspiratorial history to light, and this is more than entertaining. these are deeply important truths. not surprisingly, the emergence of these truths makes many people hopeful about bringing the perpetrators to justice, dismantling the existing aparatus, and making the world a better place.
i don’t share that optimism, as i believe this process of enlightenment is probably the moment when our collective lives flash before us as we meet our ecological fate.
July 17th, 2005 at 2:23 pm
Hm, that’s certainly a dire outlook… But maybe that brings up a good question too: how many people just feel hopeless when they really delve into conspiracy theory and find out about all this negative shit?
July 17th, 2005 at 3:51 pm
the best extended definition i’ve read (though i dont necessarily agree with all of it) is hakim bey’s essay The Ontological Status of Conspiracy Theory.
July 17th, 2005 at 4:36 pm
Yeah, I’ve read Bey’s essay. I get what he’s saying, but his writing is I don’t know… a little too clinical or something for me.
July 17th, 2005 at 4:38 pm
yeah, he could definitely ‘unpack’ some of those ideas into clearer language.
July 17th, 2005 at 4:46 pm
Yeah, I mean his ideas are so explosive that they deserve to be communicated in a more straightforward way. The best thing I’ve ever seen by him was his piece on pirate utopias.