List of conspiracy theories

The Eye of Providence, or the all-seeing eye of God, seen here on the US$1 bill, has been taken by some to be evidence of a conspiracy involving the Founding Fathers of the United States and the Illuminati.[1]: 58 [2]: 47–49 
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This is a list of notable conspiracy theories. Many conspiracy theories relate to supposed clandestine government plans and elaborate murder plots.[3] They usually deny consensus opinion and cannot be proven using historical or scientific methods, and are not to be confused with research concerning verified conspiracies, such as Germany's pretense for invading Poland in World War II.

In principle, conspiracy theories might not always be false, and their validity depends on evidence as for any theory. However, they are often implausible prima facie due to their convoluted and all-encompassing nature.[3] Conspiracy theories tend to be internally consistent and correlate with each other;[4] they are generally designed to resist falsification either by evidence against them or a lack of evidence for them.[5]

Psychologists sometimes attribute proclivities toward conspiracy theories to a number of psychopathological conditions such as paranoia, schizotypy, narcissism, and insecure attachment,[6] or to a form of cognitive bias called "illusory pattern perception".[7][8] However, the current scientific consensus holds that most conspiracy theorists are not pathological, but merely exaggerate certain cognitive tendencies that are universal in the human brain and probably have deep evolutionary origins, such as natural inclinations towards anxiety and agent detection.[6]

  1. ^ Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  2. ^ Issitt, Micah; Main, Carlyn (2014). Hidden Religion: The Greatest Mysteries and Symbols of the World's Religious Beliefs. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-61069-478-0.
  3. ^ a b Harambam, Jaron; Aupers, Stef (August 2021). "From the unbelievable to the undeniable: Epistemological pluralism, or how conspiracy theorists legitimate their extraordinary truth claims". European Journal of Cultural Studies. 24 (4). SAGE Publications: 990–1008. doi:10.1177/1367549419886045. hdl:11245.1/7716b88d-4e3f-49ee-8093-253ccb344090. ISSN 1460-3551.
  4. ^ Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M. (January 2023). Fiske, Susan T. (ed.). "What Are Conspiracy Theories? A Definitional Approach to Their Correlates, Consequences, and Communication". Annual Review of Psychology. 74. Annual Reviews: 271–298. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-032420-031329. ISSN 1545-2085. OCLC 909903176. PMID 36170672. S2CID 252597317.
  5. ^ Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M. (12 April 2011). "Does it take one to know one? Endorsement of conspiracy theories is influenced by personal willingness to conspire" (PDF). British Journal of Social Psychology. 10 (3). Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the British Psychological Society: 544–552. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8309.2010.02018.x. ISSN 2044-8309. LCCN 81642357. OCLC 475047529. PMID 21486312. S2CID 7318352. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b Andrade, Gabriel (April 2020). "Medical conspiracy theories: Cognitive science and implications for ethics" (PDF). Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. 23 (3). Springer on behalf of the European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Healthcare: 505–518. doi:10.1007/s11019-020-09951-6. ISSN 1572-8633. PMC 7161434. PMID 32301040. S2CID 215787658. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  7. ^ Dean, Signe (23 October 2017). "Conspiracy Theorists Really Do See The World Differently, New Study Shows". Science Alert. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  8. ^ Sloat, Sarah (17 October 2017). "Conspiracy Theorists Have a Fundamental Cognitive Problem, Say Scientists". Inverse. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2020.