ken_sylvania wrote:Szdfan wrote:Robert wrote:
What happens when a theory becomes fact?
Then it’s no longer a conspiracy theory. Part of defines a conspiracy theory is that it relies more on faith instead of fact. Dots are connected with insufficient or no evidence. Relationships between disparate things are assumed without evidence that they are actually connected.
If there’s adequate evidence to support these connected dots, it’s not a conspiracy theory.
Do you have examples of conspiracy theories that turned into fact?
There was a conspiracy theory that said the US Government lied about the Gulf of Tonkin incident to justify attacks on North Vietnam.
There was a conspiracy theory that said the US Government was complicit in selling guns that went across the border to gangs in Mexico.
There was a conspiracy theory that said the US Government was secretly selling weapons to Iran.
How many more do you want?
Conspiracies exist. Conspiracies are not the same thing as a conspiracy theory.
The Nazi plan to burn down the Reichstag and blame the Communists was a conspiracy. The belief that Hitler faked his suicide and fled to Argentina or a secret German base in Antarctica is conspiracy theory.
A conspiracy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy?wprov=sfti1
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agreement secret from the public or from other people affected by it.
A conspiracy theory:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspirac ... prov=sfti1
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.
Some differences between conspiracies and conspiracy theories:
1) Conspiracies tend to be limited in scope. Each conspiracy you mentioned involved specific plots and consequences. Conspiracy theories tend to be overarching, connecting lots of disparate events into a unified narrative to argue that the movement of history is manipulated by shadowy forces — i.e. George Soros, the Illuminati, the Deep State, subterranean lizard people, etc.)
Political scientist Michael Barkun has described conspiracy theories as relying on the view that the universe is governed by design, and embody three principles: nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected.
2) Conspiracies are usually unmasked with traditional methods — journalism, whistleblowers, leaked documents, investigations, etc. Conspiracy theories have either insufficient evidence or no evidence at all. When we talk about actual conspiracies, we’re talking about facts and evidence. When we talk about conspiracy theories, we’re talking about belief.
Another common feature is that conspiracy theories evolve to incorporate whatever evidence exists against them, so that they become, as Barkun writes, a closed system that is unfalsifiable, and therefore "a matter of faith rather than proof".
So when YouTube pulls “Plandemic,” advocates see it as proof that it’s true because “somebody has something to hide” rather than it’s a bunch of malarkey and misinformation in the midst of a global pandemic.
I think conspiracy theories are a form of contemporary folklore.