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What Does It Mean for a Conspiracy Theory to Be a ‘Theory’?

6 points by tokai 4y ago

ftxbro 4y ago
There is also a theory that the term "conspiracy theory" was coined to discredit the detractors of those in power https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-conspiracy-theory-jfk-941578119864 https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-conspiracy-theory-jfk-...
- nico 4y ago
  Makes so Much sense
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
freakynit 4y ago
"conspiracy theory", "fact checkers" and "false news" are nothing more than the tools of suppression of dissent. Those in power use these through governmental and legal channels to suppress any threat to their power.
ttyprintk 4y ago
I hadn’t heard the binomial “belief policy” before.
jjk166 4y ago
A theory is an explanation for a series of observations. A conspiracy theory is an explanation for a series of observations where that explanation is that there is a conspiracy. I highly doubt if you called these things "conspiracy explanations" or "conspiracy postulates" or "conspiracy conjectures" or anything else that eliminated the word "theory" while keeping the same general meaning would be received any better. It's definitely the "conspiracy" part that people take issue with. If anything, I feel like the venn diagram of people who reject things for being "just theories" and the people who most strongly believe conspiracy theories has a lot of overlap. I do think we need a better term than conspiracy theory, particularly since many such theories don't necessarily require an organized conspiracy. I think something like "self-reinforcing theory" would be a more neutral description, ie that these are explanations where its very easy for proponents to find and interpret evidence in support of their already-held belief. It's also important to remember that no one is an expert on everything, and it can be very difficult to determine what is a thoroughly experimentally tested fact, what is a subject of current academic debate, and what are poorly tested if not discredited statements presented as fact. To believe in a conspiracy you must be capable of both skepticism and open-mindedness, you just got mixed up as to which stuff to be skeptical of and which to be open minded about. That doesn't make someone crazy or stupid; and indeed many people likely subscribe to mainstream theories with no more critical examination of their own beliefs than the conspiracy theorists - they just happened to guess correctly which claims to trust.

6 points by tokai 4y ago

There is also a theory that the term "conspiracy theory" was coined to discredit the detractors of those in power https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-conspiracy-theory-jfk-941578119864 https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-conspiracy-theory-jfk-...

nico 4y ago
Makes so Much sense
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

freakynit 4y ago

"conspiracy theory", "fact checkers" and "false news" are nothing more than the tools of suppression of dissent. Those in power use these through governmental and legal channels to suppress any threat to their power.

ttyprintk 4y ago

I hadn’t heard the binomial “belief policy” before.

jjk166 4y ago

A theory is an explanation for a series of observations. A conspiracy theory is an explanation for a series of observations where that explanation is that there is a conspiracy. I highly doubt if you called these things "conspiracy explanations" or "conspiracy postulates" or "conspiracy conjectures" or anything else that eliminated the word "theory" while keeping the same general meaning would be received any better. It's definitely the "conspiracy" part that people take issue with. If anything, I feel like the venn diagram of people who reject things for being "just theories" and the people who most strongly believe conspiracy theories has a lot of overlap. I do think we need a better term than conspiracy theory, particularly since many such theories don't necessarily require an organized conspiracy. I think something like "self-reinforcing theory" would be a more neutral description, ie that these are explanations where its very easy for proponents to find and interpret evidence in support of their already-held belief. It's also important to remember that no one is an expert on everything, and it can be very difficult to determine what is a thoroughly experimentally tested fact, what is a subject of current academic debate, and what are poorly tested if not discredited statements presented as fact. To believe in a conspiracy you must be capable of both skepticism and open-mindedness, you just got mixed up as to which stuff to be skeptical of and which to be open minded about. That doesn't make someone crazy or stupid; and indeed many people likely subscribe to mainstream theories with no more critical examination of their own beliefs than the conspiracy theorists - they just happened to guess correctly which claims to trust.