Conspiracy Theories

Have you heard? The Rumour as reliable

by Matthew Dentith

Early version of the paper which is forthcoming in "Rumours and Communication in Asia in the Internet Age," Routledge, 2012

Drawing on work by philosophers CAJ Coady and David Coady on the epistemology of rumours, I develop a theory which... more Drawing on work by philosophers CAJ Coady and David Coady on the epistemology of rumours, I develop a theory which exploits the distinction between rumouring and rumour- mongering for the purpose of explaining why we should treat rumours as a species of justified belief.

Whilst it is true that rumour-mongering, the act of passing on a rumour maliciously, presents a pathology of the normally reliable transmission of rumours, I will argue that rumours themselves have a generally reliable transmission process, that of rumouring, and should be considered to be examples of warranted beliefs.

My argument will also touch on the association of rumours with another class of beliefs that are usually considered to be suspect, conspiracy theories. I will argue that whilst rumours are reliable (as a mechanism for the transmission of justified beliefs) the analysis of the transmission of conspiracy theories requires us to realise they are different to rumours in some important respects.

Hidden Agendas, Endless Investigations, and the Dynamics of Complexity: The Conspiratorial Mode of Storytelling in Contemporary American Television Series

by Felix Brinker

published in: Aspeers 5 (2012), 87-109.

In this paper, I explore a particular kind of narrative construction pervasive in contemporary American television... more In this paper, I explore a particular kind of narrative construction pervasive in contemporary American television series. Popular shows such as Lost, Battlestar Galactica, 24, Alias, or Fringe all similarly construct long-running narratives around their protagonists’ attempts to solve central underlying mysteries. By doing so, these series amass ever more complex backstories and perpetually complicate their individual webs of intersecting subplots and long-term story arcs. Drawing on narratology, concepts developed in television studies, and Mark Fenster’s work on Conspiracy Theories, I argue that the series’ success is indebted to a particular way of telling their stories—which I call the ‘conspiratorial mode’—that makes them ideally suited to operate within the competitive environment of post-network television. This article sketches the narrative structure of these conspiratorial shows, situates them in the context of contemporary television, and considers their curious dynamics of narrative progression and deferral. Finally, its goals are to suggest reasons for the recent resurgence of conspiracy narratives in television beyond and apart from a paranoia that is supposedly widespread in contemporary American culture.

(with Carol Baxter) Exposing an exposé: Fact versus fiction in the resurrection of Captain Thunderbolt'

by David Andrew Roberts

Journal of Australian Studies, Vol. 26, No. 1, March 2012, pp. 1-15

In March 2010, the NSW Legislative Council passed a remarkable motion demanding the release of archival records... more In March 2010, the NSW Legislative Council passed a remarkable motion demanding the release of archival records relating to the death of the bushranger, ‘‘Captain Thunderbolt’’, who was shot by police in the New England (NSW) in May 1870. The interest in this 140-year-old episode from the colonial past reflects a suspicion that the police shot the wrong man in 1870 and that the colonial authorities engaged in a high-level conspiracy to conceal this from the public. More seriously, it has been alleged that the NSW government actively maintained a strict censorship over secret documents that reveal the true circumstances of the bushranger’s death. Even more remarkable is the fact that the Legislative Council motion was employed to advance the claims made in an historical novel. This article considers the alternative account of Thunderbolt’s death presented in Gregory Hamilton and Barry Sinclair’s Thunderbolt: Scourge of the Ranges (2009), and investigates the allegations concerning the censorship of historical records in the service of an ongoing state and police conspiracy. We demonstrate that the case made in the novel, and promoted in the NSW Parliament, has been built on a misrepresentation of the nature and practice of state record-keeping in NSW.

Verschwörungstheorien, Macht und Gesellschaft

by Claus Oberhauser

Verräter. Verschwörer, Terroristen. Juristische Klassifikationen, gesellschaftliche Wahrnehmung und Visualisierung von politischer Delinquenz in Großbritannien, 16.-19. Jahrhundert, in: Vom Majestätsverbrechen zum Terrorismus: Politische Kriminalität, Recht, Justiz und Polizei zwischen Früher Neuzeit und 20. Jahrhundert, hrsg. von Karl Härter und Beatrice de Graaf (Studien zur Studien zur europäischen Rechtsgeschichte), Frankfurt a.M. 2012, S. 103 - 160.

by Andre Krischer

In diesem Beitrag habe ich eine Archäologie des modernen Terrorismus versucht, indem ich vormoderne Wahrnehmungen und... more In diesem Beitrag habe ich eine Archäologie des modernen Terrorismus versucht, indem ich vormoderne Wahrnehmungen und Klassifikationen politischer Delinquenz in England in den Blick genommen habe. Dabei zeigte sich, dass die englische Gesellschaft seit dem 16. Jahrhundert politische Delinquenz tatsächlich immer wieder als kollektive Bedrohung beobachtet hatte, was jedoch mit einer Übertragung des modernen Terrorismus-Konzepts nur unzureichend und eher anachronistisch erklärt werden kann. Vielmehr sorgte das aus dem Spätmittelalter stammende und bis 1848 gültige englische Hochverratsgesetz - weil es über das Faktische hinausging und auch das Fiktionale sanktioniert (imagining the King’s Death) - für eine bemerkenswerte Virulenz von Verschwörungstheorien und kollektiven Ängsten vor politischen Morden.

«Situation de crise, explications profanes et citoyenneté: l'affaire Dutroux»

by Laurent Licata

Dead and alive: Beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories

by Karen Douglas

Wood, M., Douglas, K.M., & Sutton, R.M. (in press).  Dead and alive: Beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories.  Social Psychological and Personality Science. 

Conspiracy theories can form a monological belief system: a self-sustaining worldview comprised of a network of... more Conspiracy theories can form a monological belief system: a self-sustaining worldview comprised of a network of mutually supportive beliefs.  The present research shows that even endorsement of mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively correlated.  In Study 1 (n = 137), the more participants believed that Princess Diana faked her own death, the more they believed that she was murdered.  In Study 2 (n = 102), the more participants believed that Osama Bin Laden was already dead when U.S. special forces raided his compound in Pakistan, the more they believed he is still alive.  Hierarchical regression models showed that mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively associated because both are associated with the view that the authorities are engaged in a cover-up (Study 2).  The monological nature of conspiracy belief appears to be driven not by conspiracy theories directly supporting one another, but by broader beliefs supporting conspiracy theories in general.

Does it take one to know one? Endorsement of conspiracy theories is influenced by personal willingness to conspire

by Karen Douglas

Douglas, K.M., & Sutton, R.M. (2011). Does it take one to know one? Endorsement of conspiracy theories is influenced by personal willingness to conspire. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50, 433-552.

We advance a new account of why people endorse conspiracy theories, arguing that individuals use the social-cognitive... more We advance a new account of why people endorse conspiracy theories, arguing that individuals use the social-cognitive tool of projection when making social judgments about others. In two studies, we found that individuals were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories if they thought they would be willing, personally, to participate in the alleged conspiracies. Study 1 established an association between conspiracy beliefs and personal willingness to conspire, that fully mediated a relationship between Machiavellianism and conspiracy beliefs. In Study 2, participants primed with their own morality were less inclined than controls to endorse conspiracy theories – a finding fully mediated by personal willingness to conspire. These results suggest that some people think “they conspired” because they think “I would conspire”.

The Hidden Impact of Conspiracy Theories: Perceived and Actual Influence of Theories Surrounding the Death of Princess Diana

by Karen Douglas

Douglas, K.M. & Sutton, R.M. (2008). The hidden impact of conspiracy theories: Perceived and actual impact of theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Journal of Social Psychology, 148, 210-221.

Rhizomatic Horror: Eclipsed Narrative and Experimental Weird Fiction in Steve Beard’s Digital Leatherette

by Andrew Wenaus

Extrapolation 53.1

Bruce Sterling recently criticized the fiction of Steve Beard as “being based in quote, Theory, unquote” and that this... more Bruce Sterling recently criticized the fiction of Steve Beard as “being based in quote, Theory, unquote” and that this academicism is ineffective for slipstream fiction. This article suggests that Beard’s novel, Digital Leatherette (1999), is not slipstream fiction but rather an intervention in New Weird fiction. Beard employs the conceptual structure, the rhizome, formulated by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari as the diegetic framework for his novel. The result is an assemblage of fictions that refer to a constitutive narrative; yet, this unified diegesis remains eclipsed and unnamable. Digital Leatherette confronts H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror in an age where the “inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents” is more of a formal axiom than aphorism.

The Hidden Impact of Conspiracy Theories: Perceived and Actual Influence of Theories Surrounding the Death of Princess Diana.

by Robbie Sutton

Douglas, K.M. and Sutton, R.M. (2008) The hidden impact of conspiracy theories: Perceived and actual impact of theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Journal of Social Psychology, 148, 210-221.

The authors examined the perceived and actual impact of exposure to conspiracy theories surrounding the death of... more The authors examined the perceived and actual impact of exposure to conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. One group of undergraduate students rated their agreement and their classmates' perceived agreement with several statements about Diana's death. A second group of students from the same undergraduate population read material containing popular conspiracy theories about Diana's death before rating their own and others' agreement with the same statements and perceived retrospective attitudes (i.e., what they thought their own and others' attitudes were before reading the material). Results revealed that whereas participants in the second group accurately estimated others' attitude changes, they underestimated the extent to which their own attitudes were influenced.

Dead and alive: Beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories.

by Robbie Sutton

Wood, M., Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (in press). Dead and alive: Beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories. Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Conspiracy theories can form a monological belief system: a self-sustaining worldview comprised of a network of... more Conspiracy theories can form a monological belief system: a self-sustaining worldview comprised of a network of mutually supportive beliefs. The present research shows that even endorsement of mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively correlated. In Study 1 (n = 137), the more participants believed that Princess Diana faked her own death, the more they believed that she was murdered. In Study 2 (n = 102), the more participants believed that Osama Bin Laden was already dead when U.S. special forces raided his compound in Pakistan, the more they believed he is still alive. Hierarchical regression models showed that mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively associated because both are associated with the view that the authorities are engaged in a cover-up (Study 2). The monological nature of conspiracy belief appears to be driven not by conspiracy theories directly supporting one another, but by broader beliefs supporting conspiracy theories in general.

Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka. Holocaust Denial and Operation Reinhard. A Critique of the Falsehoods of Mattogno, Graf and Kues

by Nicholas Terry

White Paper co-authored with Jonathan Harrison, Roberto Muehlenkamp, Jason Myers and Sergey Romanov (December 2011)

Conspiracy Theories As Socially Constructed Mythic Narratives

by Ted Remington

Hysterische Blicke. Fetische, Freaks und Verschwörungen bei Daniel Clowes.

by Christian Bachmann

In: BRINK das magazin zwischen kunst und wissenschaft 1 (2011), S. 10–13.

Anti-Semitism in Poland and Ukraine: The Belief in Jewish Control as a Mechanism of Scapegoating

by Michał Bilewicz

Co-authored with Ireneusz Krzeminski, published in 'International Journal of Conflict and Violence', 2010

Systemic transition in post-communist Eastern Europe resulted in high inflation, rapid economic changes, and increased... more Systemic transition in post-communist Eastern Europe resulted in high inflation, rapid economic changes, and increased lack of control in everyday life. Atthe same time, anti-Semitic incidents were reported in this region after 1989. The ideological model of scapegoating (Glick 2002; 2005) might serve asan explanation of anti-Semitic prejudice in post-transition Eastern Europe. The model predicts that the ideology defining Jews as powerful, cunning, and dangerous would gain popularity in times of crises and would lead to greater discrimination against Jews. In two nationwide representative sample studies of anti-Semitism, in Poland (n = 1098) and Ukraine (n = 1000), we applied the ideological model of scapegoating to study various forms of anti-Semitism (conspiracy-based belief in Jewish control and discriminatory intentions toward Jews). In both samples, economic deprivation led to increased discriminatory intentions toward Jews; however, only in the Polish sample was deprivation linked with higher beliefs in Jewish control (scapegoat-defining ideology). In Poland the rise of conspiracy beliefs about Jewish control partially explained the effect of deprivation on discriminatory intentions toward Jews. The implications of these results are discussed.

Baracknophobia and the Paranoid Style: Visions of Obama as the Antichrist on the World Wide Web

by Amarnath Amarasingam

In Robert Glenn Howard, ed. Network Apocalypse: Visions of the End in an Age of Internet Media (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2011): 96-123.

This chapter explores the belief among certain subsets of the US population that Obama is the Antichrist depicted as... more This chapter explores the belief among certain subsets of the US population that Obama is the Antichrist depicted as setting the stage for the end of the world. First, I examine the apocalyptic fears and conspiracies surrounding the presidency of Barack Obama, placing it in historical and religious perspective. Second, I investigate how expressions of apocalypticism and conspiracism surrounding Obama manifest themselves on the Internet.

Collective narcissism and anti-semitism in Poland

by Aleksandra Cichocka

co-authored with Agnieszka Golec de Zavala, GPIR

Two studies examined the relationship between collective narcissism—an emotional investment in an unrealistic belief... more Two studies examined the relationship between collective narcissism—an emotional investment in an unrealistic belief about the greatness of an in-group (Golec de Zavala, Cichocka, Eidelson, & Jayawickreme, 2009) — and anti-Semitism in Poland. The results indicate that this relationship is simultaneously mediated by (a) a belief that the in-group is constantly threatened by hostile intentions of other groups (Polish siege beliefs; Bar-Tal & Antebi, 1992a, 1992b) and (b) a belief that the Jews are a particularly threatening out-group because they secretly aim to dominate the world (the conspiracy stereotype of Jews; Bergmann, 2008; Kofta & Sędek, 2005). These results confirm that collective narcissism predicts prejudice against social groups perceived as threatening. Collective narcissists’ sensitivity to intergroup threat is composed of beliefs about vulnerability of the in-group and hostility of the out-group.

Anti-Social Engineering the Hyper-Manipulated Self

by Brian Taylor

When one does philosophy, one dismantles strings of concepts into their respective parts to examine both the parts... more When one does philosophy, one dismantles strings of concepts into their respective parts to examine both the parts themselves and the relationships the parts have with each other. This semantic reduction provides us the best possible opportunities for finding truth. This was exactly the type of skill Brian Taylor needed to write his new book Anti-Social Engineering the Hyper-Manipulated Self, postpaper publishing, ISBN: 978-0-557-99909-5 http://stores.lulu.com/postpaper

The book began as a series of blogged essays in a response to the “Authenticity” movement presented by the like of Eckhart Tolle, Andrew Cohen and to a lesser extent, Dr. Phil. These men, and others, were coming to conclusions on the idea of authenticity that were, among other things, subjective fallacies, rife with interpretation and possibly counterproductive. On the other side of the coin we had skeptical guru Michael Shermer or perhaps Richard Dawkins making up one half of the “four horseman of the non-apocalypse.” These men, “scientists,” were and still are guilty of the same faults as their spiritual counterparts, interpretations rather than knowledge. Brian Taylor wanted to know, “Are there any actual answers in the arena of the self and its power?” As it turns out, reality is far stranger than ever before known and we actually know so much less than we think we do, if it can be said that we know anything authentically, at all.

After four years of research into our ideas about the self through the ages, the sciences of the self and what the self is, this book comes to the conclusion that the modern self, you and I today, are not only manipulated, but that manipulation is sought out, required and pre-programmed. This is a book about how we are all being intentionally hyper-manipulated without our knowledge, by whom and to what end.

To “anti-social engineer” is to counter this phenomenon of modernity through critical consciousness, dubbed “assignee's prerogative.” This self direction is aimed toward eudaemonia, which is an Aristotelian idea roughly meaning “happiness and promotion,” and it is further suggested that virtue is found in the mean between excess and deficiency, in these concerns. This sounds rather simple in such a paragraph form, rest assured, chasing the meanings and relationships of these ideas to any philosophical depth requires a maze of rabbit holes and someone to guide you through them. Taylor is nothing if not thorough in this regard.

Entertaining, personal, conversational, exact and profound, this book has a strange undercurrent, almost a charge running through it. Most clearly defined in it's most opinionated moments, there is a subtext, not a call to arms but to a social contract. Taylor says, throughout the book, that it is specifically battling social engineering, the command, hidden or not, “think this about that.” Yet, he too wants us to think a certain way, a centrist “golden mean,” a path of no extremes. Making an argument against his ideas is difficult, regardless of the talking points he uses. (These vary from possible moral objections we may hold for prostitution or murder, to social norms such as supporting the troops or the war on terror.) In his most controversial moments, when objectivity is at its thinnest, the author's existentialism shines through and he suggests it's better to not claim to know something than to suspect something incorrectly. The exception to this rule is when the social engineering is secret, malicious, degenerative or merely in error.

There are things that we can do anti-social engineer our hyper-manipulated selves and Taylor spells these tasks out clearly. Firstly, social engineering, be it delivered by a television commercial, ideology, civility, social construct, etc. is to be expected and recognized. Then Taylor presents us his Philosophy Generator which is described as “a dismantling of paradigm” and a way to determine if any particular social engineering is more persuasive or manipulative. If we are able to first know what it is we are deciding, then do our best possible thinking on the matter, which is what working through the Generator is for, we should be able to be confident in our decision, whatever it may be. Furthermore, given the standardization of awareness, contemplation and centrist philosophy, it should be expected that the same benefit experienced by individuals would transfer to societies.

The book ends with a chapter called “God wears a yellow hat.” It is concluded with a list of 24 interesting intentions, (23 actually, one of them is missing,) this list is not meant to be a complete index of the topics discussed, but rather an indication of the book's scope. The war on terror, the war on drugs, food transportation, consumerism, capitalism, communism, false flags, dehumanization via technology, God, 2012, patriotism, culture, globalization, human rights and religion. There is an entire chapter devoted to a reasonable discussion between the two sides divided over the conspiracies associated with September 11, 2001. This book discusses conspiracy as it dismantles thought, which is a strange dichotomy. Taylor seems to want to convince us that he is a reasonable man, with a reasonable method and if such a man can find a reasonable conspiracy, we can take the suggestion from the fringe to the mainstream. He may be right. However, this is not a conspiracy book, this is a book about thinking.

One comes away from the experience of reading this book enticed to do more and this is the goal. Anti-Social Engineering the Hyper-Manipulated Self is about taking responsibility and looking ahead, prudently. It doesn't want to take anything away from you, you're entitled to have your beliefs as the author has his. We need our beliefs and we even need social engineering, these things are part of a natural, healthy species. The dangers of our beliefs are represented by the lack of awareness of them and the inability to think critically about them. Taylor argues that, if in fact we are not thinking well about the things we believe, we are not living up to the reasonable purpose we have as human beings. This appreciation of hyper-reality and our place in it defines our authenticity and is the promise expressed by the 21st Century Enlightenment.

The Power of Unreason: Conspiracy Theories, Extremism and Counter-Terrorism

by Carl Miller

2010 report published by Demos and co-authored with Jamie Bartlett

Conspiracy theories have become a mainstream cultural phenomenon. This paper considers the role they play in extremist... more Conspiracy theories have become a mainstream cultural phenomenon. This paper considers the role they play in extremist groups and counterterrorism work. It presents the first ever analysis of conspiracy theories in the ideology and propaganda of fifty extremist groups: religious, far-right and left, eco, anarchic and cult-based.

It is argued that conspiracy theories are a ‘radicalising multiplier', which feed back into the ideologies, internal dynamics and psychological processes of extremist groups in three ways. Firstly, they create demonologies of ‘the enemy’ that the group defines itself against. Secondly, they delegitimise voices of dissent and moderation. And thirdly, they encourage a group or individuals to turn to violence, because it acts as rhetorical devices to portray violence as necessary to ‘awaken’ the people from their acquiescent slumber. More broadly, conspiracy theories drive a wedge of distrust between governments and particular communities which can hinder community-level efforts to fight violent extremism.

It is, however, difficult for government to tackle conspiracies. The paper calls for government institutions to be more open, investment to enable young people to think critically and recognise propaganda, and for civil society to play a proactive role.