Talk:Conspiracy theory

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Conspiracy theory article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22: 3 months

Template:Vital article

The subject of this article is controversial and content may be in dispute. When updating the article, be bold, but not reckless. Feel free to try to improve the article, but don't take it personally if your changes are reversed; instead, come here to the talk page to discuss them. Content must be written from a neutral point of view. Include citations when adding content and consider tagging or removing unsourced information.

This article has not yet been rated on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.

Skepticism C‑class High‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Skepticism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of science, pseudoscience, pseudohistory and skepticism related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SkepticismWikipedia:WikiProject SkepticismTemplate:WikiProject SkepticismSkepticism
C	This article has been rated as C-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
High	This article has been rated as High-importance on the project's importance scale.

Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.

Alternative views C‑class Top‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Alternative views, a collaborative effort to improve Wikipedia's coverage of significant alternative views in every field, from the sciences to the humanities. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion.Alternative viewsWikipedia:WikiProject Alternative viewsTemplate:WikiProject Alternative viewsAlternative views
C	This article has been rated as C-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
Top	This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale.

This article was selected as the article for improvement on 9 September 2013 for a period of one week.

This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

Paul Krugman (May 8, 2006). "Who's Crazy Now?". New York Times.

This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Ukohli (article contribs).

Semi-protected edit request on 8 December 2018

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Dear Reader, I want to edit the Conspiracy theory page because I just sow something. I checked an american dollar bill and sow the "Eye of God". I want to add that remark.

Greetings to you,

Bloxed Bloxed (talk) 14:41, 8 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

It is not clear what you want to do. Please make suggestions for specific edits, backed up by reliable sourcing. Acroterion (talk) 14:43, 8 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

"Without credible evidence"

There is a case at the DRN regarding this page.

Discussion continued below

This message is to inform interested editors of a discussion at the Dispute resolution noticeboard regarding a content dispute related to this page. Content disputes can hold up article development and make editing difficult for editors. Any editors are welcome to add themselves as a party, and you are both invited and encouraged to help this dispute come to a resolution. Please join us to help form a consensus. Thank you! Autonova (talk) 09:36, 20 February 2019 (UTC) (DRN Volunteer)[reply]

The lead statement ending with the phrase "without credible evidence" does not present a neutral point of view, does not contain any reliable sources at all, and directly contradicts material in the Etymology and definition section. I added five reliable sources - four dictionary definitions and a citation of the Political Psychology journal. This has now been reverted, back to the "without credible evidence" statement with no citations at all. Moreover, one editor even tried to use the journal citation to support the statement when it does not.

I argue that we should remove the "without credible evidence" phrase as it presents an overly simplistic, biased viewpoint (which basically implies that the crime of conspiracy never occurs), and furthermore does so without a single reliable source. Autonova (talk) 17:41, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

How does it imply that actual, criminal conspiracies never happen? I mean, you're saying that if conspiracy theories lack evidence, then conspiracies are impossible, and that's a completely nonsensical statement. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 17:43, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Defining "conspiracy theory" as something which doesn't have credible evidence means that all convictions of a conspiracy were done without credible evidence, i.e. that they were false convictions, i.e. that conspiracies never occur. Autonova (talk) 17:46, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You're getting the phrases "conspiracy" and "conspiracy theory" mixed up. They're not the same thing. Ian.thomson (talk) 17:47, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Autonova, that's a ridiculous misreading of the statement. Of course conspiracies exists, and people get convicted of engaging in them all the time. Every single conviction under RICO is an example of a bona fide conspiracy. What separates conspiracy theories, in the meaning of this article, from actual conspiracies, is that conspiracy theories have little or no credible evidence to support them, and are believed on the basis of false information, emotional need, and the psychological conditions of the believers. Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:54, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

So, before someone is convicted of conspiracy, what is the prosecution team operating with? Autonova (talk) 18:25, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Evidence of a conspiracy, obviously. Not a conspiracy theory. It's not even slightly difficult, no matter how much smoke you blow. --Calton | Talk 23:38, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, you're right, it's very simple. A conspiracy theory is a theory that a conspiracy is taking place. It could be that the queen is a reptilian, or that a corporation is engaged in illegal activity to increase profits. The former has no credible evidence, the latter frequently does, and corporations get fined billions every year after they are proved to be doing so. Many conspiracy theories have since turned out to be true [1]. You're implying that every single conspiracy theory, by definition, does not have credible evidence. While this is a popular misconception, it is plain wrong, by the above, and also by the reliable sources I am citing, which is all that really matters. Autonova (talk) 12:37, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You're implying that every single conspiracy theory, by definition, does not have credible evidence.

The "Making Shit Up About What a Person Said" rhetorical strategy isn't your best move, especially when you're doing it in front of said person. --Calton | Talk 01:48, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Would you like to clarify then please? Because if you in fact are not saying that and disagree with it, you’re agreeing with my position. Autonova (talk) 09:03, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A conspiracy theory is a theory that a conspiracy is occuring. Autonova (talk) 17:48, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No. A conspiracy theory, in the meaning of this article, is the theory that a conspiracy is occurring without rational evidence to support that theory. Prosecutors investigating a crime who hypothesize that there is a conspiracy are not engaging in conspiracy theorizing, they are uncovering the actual evidence that there is a conspiracy in reality. The hallmark of a conspiracy theory is that there is no such evidence. Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:54, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's an opinion which may apply to some conspiracy theories but not all. Wikipedia is not the place for opinions - we need reliable sources. I have five reliable sources excluding the disputed phrase, the statement including the disputed phrase has zero. Autonova (talk) 18:01, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No, that's not an opinion, that's a definition. That you believe it is an opinion is why I reverted your edits as POV. You are not going to be allowed to skew this article to match your own personal point of view, which is counter to the facts as supported by reliable sources. Beyond My Ken (talk) 18:04, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's your definition, again from zero reliable sources. You (or I) are not a reliable source. If we're talking about definitions, I've provided four actual definitions from dictionary sources, while you have provided zero. Autonova (talk) 18:09, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

One wonders how one could keep scrolling past several long discussions about the definition which resulted in a clear consensus in order to get to this section, yet continue to assert that there were no sources provided for the definition in the article. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:12, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Could you please elaborate? Where are the reliable sources which support the inclusion of the disputed phrase? Autonova (talk) 18:16, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There are at least four comments about this very issue in the section higher up. Either start fucking reading or get fucking lost; it's not my job to spoonfeed you every bit of information you're willfully ignoring. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:52, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Comments aren't reliable sources. I have a clear position and have provided five in support of it. I'm not going to search the entire discussion archive and construct your own argument for you. Please stop swearing at me. Autonova (talk) 17:36, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Talk:Conspiracy_theory/Archive_19#Reality_and_competence - LuckyLouie (talk) 16:26, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Autonova, the statement that "A conspiracy theory is a theory that a conspiracy is occuring." is not supportable by any RSes, and there's a reason for that. The term has acquired a specific meaning after originally being coined in a generalized sense. It now refers to theories that conspiracies are occuring that usually or almost always lack any credible evidence. Further, the term is frequently used in both academia and common parlance to refer to beliefs that a subject will rationalize, no matter how improbable the rationalization.

Since the coining of the term, belief in conspiracy theories has been extensively studied, and they have been found empirically to be different than normal beliefs or hypotheses. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:06, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's why I'm referring to five reliable sources which support the statement without the disputed phrase. Autonova (talk) 18:16, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There should not be any edit warring over the NPOV tag. That tag should not be placed unless we reach an impasse in a discussion over the neutrality of this article. One editor raising objections is not an impasse. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:09, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Put another way, the scholarly sources cited don’t parse the two words of the term to interpret it broadly as covering everything from RICO to Pearl Harbor. They specifically discuss the term as it has been applied to unreasonable theories of conspiracy that lack credible evidence. - LuckyLouie (talk) 18:15, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

- Nowhere in that essay does it forbid an editor from placing an NPOV tag on an article to signify that there is a dispute. It does mention, however, that "In general, whichever side has the most reliable sources and follows those sources the closest prevails." Autonova (talk) 18:12, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Your unfamiliarity with WP norms is your own problem, not something that needs to be addressed explicitly by essay pages. I really wish you had actually read that page, or even my comment, as it is clear that you still lack any understanding of what was said in either. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:14, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Ok fair enough, I will wait until we reach an impasse. Autonova (talk) 18:20, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This link is to the well-sourced definition that existed on this page prior to Autonova's edits. The argument here seems to be about whether or not this definition existed. Well, I've just proven that it did, so I see no point to continued discussion. It's clear that the edits intended to "add" a sourced definition went against consensus, so there's really nothing for us to do, here. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:25, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You've actually supported my point. That definition uses a dictionary and never mentions the phrase "without credible evidence", which is the entire crux of this dispute. I'm using four dictionary sources, and a journal source, to support the definition without the disputed phrase. Autonova (talk) 18:30, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Simple solution, source it. That is what policy requires.Slatersteven (talk) 18:34, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. Autonova (talk) 18:42, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Which source supports this, just one?Slatersteven (talk) 18:58, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Multiple sourcing is not required, simply support from a reliable source. Beyond My Ken (talk) 18:59, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Five - four dictionary definitions and the journal Political Psychology. Autonova (talk) 19:01, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If we only need the journal source then fair enough. Autonova (talk) 19:02, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I do not see that the journal article supports your position. Beyond My Ken (talk) 19:03, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The journal defines a conspiracy theory as "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups". Autonova (talk) 19:09, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry let me make that more clear, provide one source that supports this, just one. I can find no reference in the article to "Without credible evidence" (or anything analogous). The closest is "Evidence vs. conspiracy theory", which seems to not contain one line about a conspiracy theory lacking evidence.Slatersteven (talk) 19:03, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You've got it backwards. Autonova is citing the journal as evidence to delete "without credible evidence", not as a source to keep it in. Beyond My Ken (talk) 19:05, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

And I am asking for a source that supports retaining it (just one will do), in response to your reply to me.Slatersteven (talk) 19:06, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

None of the conspiracy theories mentioned in the article or listed in Category:Conspiracy theories have any credible evidence supporting them. The phrase after which this thread is titled, which the OP is arguing to remove, is 100%, pure WP:SKYBLUE and doesn't need a source. Before anyone claims that the fact that people are arguing with it nullifies my claim of it being obvious, I want to point out that there are people who believe the earth is flat. The existence of lunacy does not change reality. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 20:35, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You are still ignoring the reliable sources I am citing which give the precise definition. You are also ignoring the reality that many conspiracy theories have since turned out to be true [2]. Conspiracy theories don't all have credible evidence - the ones listed in that article did, because they are now known conspiracies. The earth is flat is a theory - so is the theory of gravity. One has mountains of credible evidence, the other does not. They are both theories. A theory is not something that "has no credible evidence", by definition. It is a theory. There is no source whatsoever backing up the statement that all conspiracy theories, by definition, are "without credible evidence". Autonova (talk) 12:43, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not ignoring anything. If you can't understand how what I said directly addresses your objection, then you don't have the competence to participate in this discussion. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:00, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You’re blatantly ignoring my reliable sources. As I said, some conspiracy theories, such as the earth being round, have no credible evidence. However many conspiracy theories have turned out to be true. To state that all conspiracy theories have no credible evidence therefore is 100% false and is not backed up by any reliable source. Insulting me or trying to exclude me from the discussion does not address my argument. Autonova (talk) 22:41, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Is English a second or third language for you? Go back and actually read my fucking comment, and if you don't understand it, click on the links and actually read them. If you still don't understand it then delete your account because you don't have the competence to edit this project. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:50, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You seem to be the one with problems interpreting English, as you’re making points irrelevant to my argument. You have not provided an exhaustive list of every single conspiracy theory, and you have not put all the evidence of every single conspiracy theory to a judge or a jury. Therefore you can’t argue that all conspiracy theories have no credible evidence by definition. Such a statement is, for this reason, not equivalent to saying the sky is blue, because it is false - people and organisations get convicted of conspiracy all the time. Some are being charged with conspiracy as we speak. You using abusive language is not helping the discussion. Autonova (talk) 15:41, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If you think that WP:SKYBLUE is "irrelevant" to the issue of sourcing a statement, then you have clearly never read the page, nor been able to work out the contents based on the rather obvious context provided by my comment. The rest of your comment is bullshit, so I won't respond to it further. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 16:21, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have read the page and understand your argument very clearly - I've just pointed out that it is wrong. Autonova (talk) 17:50, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No, you've claimed it is wrong by way of falsely claiming that my counter-argument did not address your complaints. Seriously, if you can't keep up with the grade-school-level logic of "It's WP:SKYBLUE so it doesn't need a citation" then you should not even be editing this project, let alone controversial subjects. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:09, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You keep invoking the WP:SKYBLUE essay, but its first two sentences read: "Verifiability is an important and core policy of Wikipedia. Article content should be backed up by reliable sources wherever needed to show that the presentation of material on Wikipedia is consistent with the views that are presented in scholarly discourse or the world at large." Please bear in mind verifiability. I am providing five reliable sources that support a simple definition. You're claiming that a definition including "without credible evidence" is equivalent to "the sky is blue", which may be your opinion, and that of many others, but it is not supported by any reliable source. Autonova (talk) 18:18, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Again; already addressed in my first comment about SKYBLUE. You really dislike reading opposing opinions, don't you? ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:21, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Your first comment about SKYBLUE refers to people arguing about this issue - I am not referring to people arguing about it, but to reliable sources. Autonova (talk) 18:31, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Wow. Okay, you're either incompetent or dishonest. We're done here. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:48, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Exactly. It's definitional. If those theories had any credible evidence, they wouldn't be "conspiracy theories", they would be mere "conspiracies". Beyond My Ken (talk) 20:52, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That is synthesis, we can only say what a source says, not what we infer many to imply. I would also argue that with the Kennedy Assignations whilst there may be no proven evidence, credible does not mean proven.Slatersteven (talk) 10:43, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Barkun, whose book is used as a source, says conspiracy theories are "a matter of faith rather than proof." That means without credible evidence. TFD (talk) 21:58, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The scientific method, as part of its process of developing a theory, has an initial period of Scientific_method#Process, in which a hypothesis is formed which is to be tested. Before a theory is tested, it has no proof to support it. This doesn't mean that all theories lack credible evidence, by definition. While a popular idea, the notion that all conspiracy theories lack credible evidence, by definition, is not supported by any reliable source, and it is false to state it in this article. Autonova (talk) 12:50, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with TFD. Other scholarly sources used make the same or similar observation. The lead, per WP:LEAD, is a summary of what the article sources say. It isn’t meant to be limited to dictionary definitions. - LuckyLouie (talk) 22:23, 16 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No but it is meant to reflect what the article says, and again nowhere do we actually say this. So lets expand the Evidence vs. conspiracy theory section and discus this in the body, the idea that a conspiracy theory lacks evidence and is based on faith.Slatersteven (talk) 10:43, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Nowhere in the article does it say this. Autonova (talk) 12:51, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

See Conspiracy theory#Evidence vs. conspiracy theory. Maybe there should be more explanation in the article. TFD (talk) 14:06, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Which does not at any point say that conspiracy theories have no basis in evidence, the closest is "The relationship between legitimate and illegitimate knowledge, Birchall claims, is closer than common dismissals of conspiracy theory contend". It needs expansion to match the lede.Slatersteven (talk) 14:50, 17 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The lead sentence in our article that is disputed by the OP describes a conspiracy theory as "generally ... without credible evidence". Which all of our scholarly sources explicitly support, characterizing CT's in general as dependent on belief rather than proof, with the hallmark of a conspiracy theory being the lack of verifiable evidence. Regarding sources, especially high quality academic publishing, it's helpful to bear in mind that they are meant to be read as a scholarly narrative with surrounding context taken into account — rather than searched for a standalone declaration. It reminds me a bit of argumentation that used to go on in the pseudoscience articles with people claiming that because topic X was included in Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia but a sentence explicitly stating "X is pseudoscience" wasn't found, X couldn't be characterized as a pseudoscience on Wikipedia. - LuckyLouie (talk) 17:11, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Generally" appears within hyphens and doesn't refer to the "without credible evidence", but to "one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors". The entire sentence is: "A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors – without credible evidence." This sentence explicitly states that a conspiracy theory is by definition without credible evidence, which is not supported in any definition in any dictionary or other reliable source. This is not a question of narratives or generalities but of a precise definition. I have five sources which give a precise definition. A statement that says that "conspiracy theories are generally based on faith rather than proof", or that "the hallmark of a conspiracy theory is the lack of verfiable evidence" would be separate statements with their own reliable source to support them. Autonova (talk) 17:48, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It is an excellent lay summary of the defining distinction between a conspiracy theory and an actual conspiracy. One could certainly say "in the face of overwhelming evidence tot he contrary" but some of them are arrived at by pure proctomancy so there's no evidence either way. Guy (Help!) 00:07, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The lede is a summery of the article, not the subject.Slatersteven (talk) 10:25, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If there's any meaningful difference between summarizing the body and summarizing the subject, then the article has serious problems. That is not the case, here. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:25, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"The lead section (also known as the lead or introduction) of a Wikipedia article is the section before the table of contents and the first heading. The lead serves as an introduction to the article and a summary of its most important contents. It is not a news-style lead or "lede" paragraph.", note the contents of the article, not the subject. This could be solved by just expanding the section headed evidence to include a discussion about how these theories lack evidence, it really should not be this hard. Please read MOS:INTRO, why users cannot just add a couple of lines to the body is beyond me, then this whole debate would be ended.Slatersteven (talk) 13:46, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You are shockingly good at not understanding what people are saying to you. Go back and re-read my comment; it's not talking about the lede, but the body. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:52, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

My mistake I assumed that when you talked about there being no difference between summarizing the body and the subject you would not be talking about the body, as by inference the body cannot be a summarization of the body. But to answer you point, the body does not mention anything about lack of evidence, so any summarization of the body cannot summarize what is not there. So why not just add an expanded text that actually mentions (in the body) about there being no evidence?Slatersteven (talk) 14:02, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The lede is a summery [sic] of the article, not the subject

I still can't figure what important distinction, if any, is being drawn here. --Calton | Talk 13:55, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Its called policy, out lede is a summery of the article, " It is not a news-style lead or "lede" paragraph.". If it is not mentioned in the body it should not be in the lede.14:02, 19 February 2019 (UTC)Slatersteven (talk)

Do you even know what a "news-style lede" is? I don't think you do. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 14:07, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You know, I was hoping for an explanation instead of contrarian word salad, Slatersteven, but I guess you need to stay in character. --Calton | Talk 16:55, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I know that the for some reason users are refusing to just add material, that would end this for reasons I cannot fathom. It really should not be this much of an issue.Slatersteven (talk) 14:13, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I would note two things:

Nobody is "refusing" to do anything. Just because nobody has done it doesn't mean anyone has refused to do it.
The list of editors who haven't added this information to the article includes you. It would probably be less hypocritical for you to do it than to berate the rest of us for not doing it. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 14:50, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have not added it because I do not have access to all the sources we are being told talk about this (the couple I have been able to check make no mention of evidence that I can see). But you are correct, not doing something is not refusing to do it, its just not doing it, so it is it unwillingness or inability?.Slatersteven (talk) 14:53, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Lets try this another way, provide a quote form an RS that says that a notable feature of these theories is that they lack " credible evidence", just one quote form one source.Slatersteven (talk) 14:18, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A neutral pointer to this discussion has been placed on the talk pages of the following WikiProjects: Skepticism, Alternative Views, Politics/American politics, and Psychology. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:10, 18 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Or, we could leave it as-is, because its a correct and valid lay summary. Guy (Help!) 15:12, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The source A Culture of Conspiracy by Michael Barkun explicitly states that CTs are "a matter of faith rather than proof." and this has been pointed out before. I don't see why well-sourced content in the lede (that is part of the lede for obvious reasons) needs to be duplicated in the body, but I will do so if it assuages your concerns. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 15:20, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Because that is what policy says, the lede is a summery of the article.16:24, 19 February 2019 (UTC)Slatersteven (talk)

Policy also says "Ignore all Rules". And not just policy mind, that's one of the five pillars. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 16:31, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

And how exactly does ignoring this rule help to improve or maintain Wikipedia?Slatersteven (talk) 16:36, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure exactly why you're still trying to argue with me, considering that I already added this to the body. Well, actually, I'm fairly certain I know the reason, but I'm not going to get into it here.

Suffice it to say that if your only argument in favor of doing something is "the rules say we should" then you have a shit argument. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 16:48, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Because I was not aware you had, as you still seemed to be arguing against inclusion. Thank you.Slatersteven (talk) 16:50, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You literally responded to the first half of the sentence in which I explicitly stated I would add it. You then (since you obviously have this page watchlisted) saw my name appear on your watchlist as having edited the main page. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 17:02, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Arbitrary break ("Without credible evidence")

Discussion continued below

The source referred to here does not support the definition sentence which is the subject of this discussion, so the sentence remains as SYNTHESIS. Moreover, I'd even argue that the source here is being taken out of context: the full sentence in A Culture of Conspiracy by Michael Barkun reads "no matter how much evidence their adherents accumulate, belief in a conspiracy theory ultimately becomes a matter of faith rather than proof." Even this statement acknowledges the existence of evidence supporting some conspiracy theories. It does not state that all conspiracy theories are without credible evidence. As mentioned in SYNTHESIS, sources should be explicit in their support of material. I have four dictionaries and one journal which give a definition of what a conspiracy theory is, and none of them mention they are "without credible evidence", by definition. This is a question of an explicit definition - one source which is neither explicit nor actually denies the existence of evidence does not trump five sources which support the statement explicitly. Autonova (talk) 17:58, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

WP:SYNTHNOT#SYNTH is not summary. Repeating your unsupported assertions is not an argument. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:03, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The source whilst it does not directly say this, does say that these theories rely on faith, and ignore evidence. That is close enough for me to call this a paraphrasing. There may be an argument to expand the body to give more details (we after all should be trying to inform the reader). But I have no issue with the material in the lede now.Slatersteven (talk) 18:08, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There's a difference between summarising/paraphrasing and taking part of a sentence out of context and using it to support a different statement. The source itself says "no matter how much evidence its adherents accumulate". This does not explicitly support the statement that conspiracy theories are without credible evidence by definition - it does the opposite. Moreover, it doesn't supercede the addition of five reliable sources which support a different statement. Even if the source supported the statement (it doesn't), it would be five sources against one. Autonova (talk) 18:22, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

True, it also does not contradict it. But you sources also do not support the opposite. Not saying something is not the same as saying it is not true. Is it possible to find another source, and expand?Slatersteven (talk) 18:26, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There is this paper [[3]] from political scientist Joseph Uscinski which states "While conspiracy refers to a real, actual event, conspiracy theory refers to an accusatory perception which may or may not be true." Autonova (talk) 18:41, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That source also states "I submit that most people do not have a consistent rule for accepting some conspiracy theories as true or for rejecting others as false. People appear to pick and choose based on factors that have nothing to do with consistent standards of evidence." Emphasis added. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 18:56, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That might make a good change, "without consistent standards of evidence".Slatersteven (talk) 18:59, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The paper states that "everyone believes at least one conspiracy theory and rejects countless others" and that "most people" do not have consistent standards of evidence in this process. Again, to bring it back to the focus of discussion, this is all about what a conspiracy theory is, as a definition. Not how most people react to them, attitudes to them, or anything of the like. The source explicitly states that a conspiracy theory may or may not be true, which implies that there may or may not be credible evidence in support, which directly contradicts the inclusion of "without credible evidence". Autonova (talk) 19:19, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The paper states that "everyone believes at least one conspiracy theory and rejects countless others"... So the paper gets something wrong. That doesn't address the quote I provided.

Not how most people react to them, attitudes to them, or anything of the like. A conspiracy theory is a phenomenon of reactions, attitudes and other things of the like. Suggesting that it's some concrete, external thing is laughably ignorant. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 19:42, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe, but the issue wit whether or not they are evidence based. it seems to be the source says they are inconsistently evidence based.Slatersteven (talk) 19:51, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No, the source says that belief in them has "nothing to do with consistent standards of evidence", full stop. It doesn't say that some CTs have more evidence than others, just that the reasons people form or accept CT beliefs has "nothing to do with" empirical measures. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 20:03, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I did not say it did.Slatersteven (talk) 20:12, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

In fact, you did, whether you meant to or not. the source says [conspiracy theories] are inconsistently evidence based. == "Some conspiracy theories are more evidence-based than others." Since you say that's not what you meant, then please explain what you did mean so that we understand each other. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 20:30, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Err, can you provide the diff where I say "Some conspiracy theories are more evidence-based than others."Slatersteven (talk) 13:32, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's correct and for the record I would agree with that statement. There are undoubtedly thousands of conspiracy theories with absolutely no credible evidence, which are formed every day. I'm not arguing that point - the point is to define what a conspiracy theory is, as a definition. Definitions are concrete and external - free from individual prejudice and experience. Would it be acceptable if we reached a compromise and wrote the statement as "with or without credible evidence"? This acknowledges both that conspiracy theories can be entirely faith-based, but also that others may have credible evidence, as indeed some have had (since they are now recognised as historical truth). Autonova (talk) 20:34, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The paper makes it clear in multiple places that there is no bright line, on one side of which there are conspiracy theories and on the other side only real (or plausible) conspiracies. In fact, throughout the literature, including every single comprehensive source discussed here, the divide between conspiracy theories and plausible beliefs is said to be one of evidence. Your quest to remove this statement from the article would only weaken it, especially in light of the fact that you've had it explained to you multiple times, by multiple people that multiple sources all support the claim. You are the one advocating changes to the article, yet you have not provided even a single source which asserts or even implies that any conspiracy theories have any credible evidence to them. I'm done discussing this with you, because you've already shown that you will either twist things in your mind to suit your views or engage in blatant dishonesty to avoid admitting any mistake. Unless and until you can provide a source that contradicts the statement, you will not gain any traction here. Continuing to beat this issue to death is more likely to result in you being blocked or topic banned than in any changes being made to the article. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 20:42, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

As a general comment on the discussion as a whole, I do think it makes sense to divide the two concepts between conspiracy theory and conspiracy. Yes, in a strict application of the dictionary definition, a theory about a conspiracy is a conspiracy theory. But I don't know that exercises in tautology really help us in any meaningful sense. A wagon, that belongs to a band, is literally a band wagon, but that's not the WP:COMMONNAME usage of the term, and it's not terribly helpful for readers to confuse the two. Having said that, the article for conspiracy was only started a few weeks ago, and there's probably a lot of effort and content in this discussion that would be better spent improving that article rather than arguing over this one. GMG ^talk 13:41, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Bandwagon and band wagon are clearly defined, and there are dictionary definitions for all three words. Conspiracy theory is also clearly defined in the dictionary and many academic journals. There isn't a single reliable source which says a conspiracy theory has, by definition, no credible evidence. It has become an emotionally loaded term, which some people may ascribe their own attitudes and meaning to. This doesn't mean we should abandon WP:VERIFIABILITY and give an untrue statement with no reliable sources. Autonova (talk) 21:32, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the defining difference between a conspiracy and a conspiracy theory is that the latter has no credible evidence. Guy (Help!) 21:51, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's your opinion. It is not backed up by reliable sources. Autonova (talk) 22:39, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's the view of every book and paper I have read on the subject. Guy (Help!) 19:25, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Mark Crispin Miller

Was told in an edit summary that there are sources that contradict what professor Mark Crispin Miller states regarding the use of the term "conspiracy theory" in the United States. Could you please provide these sources before removing information that is sourced? Thank you.----ZiaLater (talk) 08:59, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Calton: I don't see the contradiction. Someone "suggested" that it began in 1964. Mark Crispin Miller states that the usage began in the 1960s as well. In fact, de Haven-Smith states "In 1964, the year the Warren Commission issued its report, the New York Times published five stories in which conspiracy theory' appeared". This is along the same lines as Crispin Miller. Literally the first sentence in the book, de Haven-Smith states "This book would not have been written without the encouragement of Mark Crispin Miller ... He convinced me to undertake the project and also helped me frame the analysis" (Page ix). The argument that the two have contradicting views is dubious at best.----ZiaLater (talk) 09:58, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

NYU Professor Uses Tenure to Advance 9/11 Hoax Theory. Wow, he sounds like an...interesting guy. - LuckyLouie (talk) 13:55, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That "someone" who "suggested" that is an expert on conspiracy theories. Miller is a conspiracy theorist trying to denigrate the very idea of a conspiracy theory being anything other than a CIA smokescreen, in order to legitimize his own pet conspiracy theory. Your attempt to put them on an equal footing is WP:UNDUE. --Calton | Talk 13:59, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not feeling good about this, either. - LuckyLouie (talk) 14:02, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@LuckyLouie: @Calton: Should de Haven-Smith be included in this article since the book's framework was provided by Mark Crispin Miller? Just asking what is relevent here.----ZiaLater (talk) 17:03, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Although de Haven-Smith's advocacy of JFK asassination and 9-11 conspiracy theories are generally discredited by scholars, I see he's currently being cited as a source for a mundane assertion regarding the historical usage of the term "conspiracy theory" by The New York Times. Which is probably why no one has objected to his inclusion to date. - LuckyLouie (talk) 13:53, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@LuckyLouie: The only issue I see is that if they are used once, then it may justify future users to cite them and Mark Crispin Miller as well. I know that biased sources can give a fairly neutral statement, but where do we draw the line on what is appropriate from an otherwise inappropriate source?----ZiaLater (talk) 09:17, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@ZiaLater: It doesn't really concern me at the moment. If you have others consensus for removing it as well, do so. - LuckyLouie (talk) 14:00, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Opening para

Discussion continued below

A lot of the drama is the result of years of ratchet-effect as we compromise endlessly between the status quo and what conspiracy theorists want the article to say. Having done some reading over the last couple of days, I find Aaronovich's definition to be clearer and more succinct than what we have now:

[A] conspiracy theory is the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable. (Aaronovitch, David. Voodoo Histories: How Conspiracy Theory Has Shaped Modern History . Random House.) Note that the link to Occam is made explicitly in the source.

Alternatively there's Pipes:

A conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy. (Pipes, Daniel. Conspiracy (p. 21). Touchstone.)

Also:

The fact that there have been no whistleblowers and the absence of any other kind of definitive proof in favour of the conspiracy thesis simply demonstrates the conspirators’ ability to cover up their tracks and illustrates the power at their disposal. Therefore, the very same thing that critics argue makes conspiracy theories unbelievable is, for conspiracy theorists, the strongest evidence in favour of their claims. (Byford, Jovan. Conspiracy Theories (p. 34). Palgrave Macmillan UK.)

This brings us to what is probably the most important feature of conspiracy theories: they are by their very nature irrefutable. Logical contradictions, disconfirming evidence, even the complete absence of proof have no bearing on the conspiratorial explanation because they can always be accounted for in terms of the conspiracy: the lack of proof about a plot, or any positive proof against its existence, is turned around and taken as evidence of the craftiness of the secret cabal behind the conspiracy and as confirmation of its ability to conceal its machinations. Conspiracy theories thus become ‘the only theories for which evidence against them is actually construed as evidence in favour of them’ (ibid, p. 36 citing Keeley B.L. (1999). Of conspiracy theories. Journal of Philosophy 96 (3): 109-126).

So the opening para could be:

A conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy^[1] or the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable.^[2] The absence of proof of the conspiracy, and evidence showing it to be false, is interpreted by believers as evidence of its truth, thus insulating the conspiracist belief from refutation.^[3]^[4]

I don't suppose the conspiracists will like this any more, though. Guy (Help!) 23:10, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Keeley, Brian L. (1999-3). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Thank you for these sources and this edit suggestion. I'd say there are some valid points about conspiracy theories in general, which could come after the initial, particular definition. How about:

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors. Generally a conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy or the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable. The absence of proof of the conspiracy, and evidence showing it to be false, is interpreted by believers as evidence of its truth, thus insulating the conspiracist belief from refutation.

Autonova (talk) 23:34, 20 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I would still like to see something about inconsistency of supporting evidence.Slatersteven (talk) 08:41, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What, exactly, and based on what source? Guy (Help!) 10:08, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Something like "without consistent standards of evidence", based upon [[ https://www.argumenta.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Argumenta-Joseph-Uscinski-The-Study-of-Conspiracy-Theories.pdf]].Slatersteven (talk) 12:48, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's ironic that you have decided to add your own "generally" to these sources which have no such qualification. See WP:WEASEL. Your version is clearly designed to leave the door open to bullshit, in a way the sources do nto support. Guy (Help!) 09:48, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The crux of the issue is this: currently the statement reads as "all conspiracy theories have no credible evidence". My contention is that I have many reliable sources which explicitly state, or logically imply, that "some conspiracy theories have no credible evidence and some do". Or, essentially now it's "all conspiracy theories are bullshit", vs. my contention of, "some conspiracy theories are bullshit and some aren't". Is there any possible compromise we could work towards where we land somewhere between the two? Autonova (talk) 10:10, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

As an easy proof of the statement, "some conspiracy theories are bullshit and some aren't", there are two conspiracy theories recently which were proved to be true. There was a "conspiracy theory" that Apple was slowing down their phones via software updates in order to encourage new purchases ([4]). This was investigated by the Italian authorities and found to be true, and Apple were fined 10 million euros ([5]). Another example in the last day or two: Jussie Smollett was accused by conspiracy theorists of having faked an attack against himself ([6]). Now he has been charged with doing just that ([7]). That's two recent examples of usage of the term "conspiracy theory" and where credible evidence was found. Autonova (talk) 10:47, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

So your problem is not with the sourcing, but that you disagree witht he reality-based consensus that conspiracy theories are definitionally false. That's as expected given your history, and it's your problem, not Wikipedia's. Guy (Help!) 17:53, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'll ask again - is there any possibility we could reach some kind of compromise? Autonova (talk) 19:23, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This accurately represents the exact text of the sources so any compromise would be exactly what you were complaining about with the "credible evidence" text. The fundamental problem is that any accurate statement willcause you cognitive dissonance. Sorry, I can't fix that. Guy (Help!) 20:45, 21 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Your links about Apple say what Apple did, but not that there had been a conspiracy theory that had claimed that Apple did this. They do mention a conspiracy theory, but it is a different, somewhat related one: Planned obsolescence.

Your links about Smollett say there was a "conspiracy theory", but not that it turned out to be true - only that some people in law enforcement think it may be true, since they could not find the perpetrators (which is actually a pretty normal occurence and not a reason to believe the attack was invented). Also, if there was a "conspiracy", shouldn't there have been other people involved, besides Smollett? He can't conspire with himself. Maybe using the term "conspiracy theory" was just a mistake by the journalists in the first place. --Hob Gadling (talk) 07:02, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Apple's planned obsolescence conspiracy theory was confirmed by Italian authorities when they stated the updates "caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance, thus accelerating phones’ substitution".

Smollett paid the two brothers $3500 to stage the attack, so more than one person was involved. Autonova (talk) 10:33, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Was there an "Apple's planned obsolescence conspiracy theory"?

So, if one person says one thing and other people say another thing, the one person is wrong and the other people are right. And if the prosecution says someone is guilty, that person is guilty. I see.

Well, to draw conclusions from these cases would be original research anyway, so this will lead nowhere. --Hob Gadling (talk) 11:33, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Was there an "Apple's planned obsolescence conspiracy theory"?" - yes, it is explicitly stated in the first source I cited [8]. I'm not saying Smollett is guilty - I was arguing the original point of this entire discussion, which was whether conspiracy theories all, by definition, lack credible evidence. The fact that Smollett has been officially charged indicates that police have credible evidence. Autonova (talk) 11:38, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's WP:OR, and the type of flawed rationale that conspiracy believers commonly employ in attempts to persuade disbelievers. A writer at Vox and a writer at Pink News used the term "conspiracy theory" to describe speculations that had no credible evidence (they wouldn't be calling them conspiracy theories if they had credible evidence). But later it turned out those speculations were partially correct. Yet there is no independent scholarly analysis that uses the Vox and Pink News examples to help define what a conspiracy theory is and assert that some conspiracy theories have credible evidence. In fact all of our cited sources argue the opposite. At this point, it may be helpful for you to review WP:1AM before pursuing this further. - LuckyLouie (talk) 15:27, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Per Wikipedia:Cherrypicking#Multiple_sources, this edit does not represent the full range of sources in this discussion. I have many reliable sources which give a more balanced viewpoint and they have been completely ignored in this entire discussion. The current edit has been done with no regard for compromise or consensus. Autonova (talk) 11:26, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Autonova: I recommend a WP:RfC about this. There needs to be a more neutral way to word the lede.----ZiaLater (talk) 15:02, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This was suggested at DR. Lets have the RFC now.Slatersteven (talk) 15:10, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Fine with that, right after we topic ban the conspiracy kooks so they don't derail the discussion with attempts to mitigate cognitive dissonance. Guy (Help!) 15:20, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No.Slatersteven (talk) 15:47, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Please dial back on the WP:personal attacks, I've tolerated them for this entire discussion and I'd rather they stopped and were replaced with objective discussion. Autonova (talk) 16:09, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's good, because we've had to tolerate your advocacy for appeasing conspiracy theorists. See also WP:CPUSH. Guy (Help!) 19:32, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

RfC wording

Discussion continued below

We've decided an RfC would be the best course of action - having been shown the ropes very helpfully by Levivich it's best if we decide on the wording first. The subject will be the opening sentence, since this is the part which was initially disagreed over: a conspiracy theory is [x]. I'm proposing an A/B question - the wording as it is now (A) and my proposed wording (B):

A1: A conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy^[1] or the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable.^[2]

Adding the prior long-standing version

A2: A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors – without credible evidence.

B: A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Everyone involved in this discussion would seem to agree with one of these options, apart from perhaps Slatersteven, who I think wanted a mention of "consistent standards of evidence". Slatersteven do you have any suggestions on an option C, or perhaps an edit of option A or B? Or perhaps you could incorporate the "consistent standards of evidence" elsewhere in the lede and it doesn't need to be included in the first statement?

Anyone with any comments please post. Autonova (talk) 17:35, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
^ Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

Any reason why you left out the phrase "without credible evidence" — which has been the entire focus of the discussion so far? By excluding it, you've created a classic forced choice. User:Levivich had some good suggestions for you:

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy, generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors and without credible evidence.

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy, generally one without credible evidence and involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors.

I suggest you include one of these as option C. Or cut right to the issue with option A containing "without credible evidence" and option B excluding "without credible evidence". - LuckyLouie (talk) 17:48, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It was my understanding that Beyond My Ken and Guy had changed their position to option A since it was properly sourced. An option C which mentioned "no credible evidence" wouldn't be sourced. If you want option C to have "without credible evidence" then fine by me. Autonova (talk) 17:55, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

My understanding of this dispute:

A [conspiracy] [theory] is [a theory] about [a conspiracy].
A [conspiracy] [theory] is [an unproven hypothesis] about [an agreement by two or more persons to take coordinated action, usually surreptitious and/or illegal].
A [conspiracy] [theory] is [an unproven hypothesis, usually without credible evidence] about [an agreement by two or more persons to take coordinated action, usually surreptitious and/or illegal].
A [conspiracy] [theory] is [an unproven hypothesis, always without credible evidence] about [an agreement by two or more persons to take coordinated action, usually surreptitious and/or illegal].

We're discussing whether the lead sentence should follow the pattern of #2, #3, or #4, right? If that's the case, my !vote would be for #2 or #3, but not #4. Maybe a straw poll would help narrow down the options into two A/B choices (or three A/B/C if needed). I'll note if nobody likes my suggestions, then there's no point in including them in the RfC, though I obviously would !vote for either of my suggestions, both of which are edits that basically turn #4 into #3 by having "generally" modify "without credible evidence". Leviv ich 18:39, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

My position is #2 - although without the word "unproven" as it doesn't appear in the above sources, dictionary or otherwise. Sorry if that sounds stubborn but the definition of unproven is "not demonstrated by evidence or argument to be true or existing", which is the point of contention in this discussion. I'm not sure what the other editors would support so I'll wait for them to clarify their position. Autonova (talk) 19:13, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have restored the full content of the long-s-standing prior version. If the OP wishes to propose a third, they are free to do so, but it is obvious that the primary question is new versus former,and "accidentally" leaving out the bit conspiracists hate is plainly dishonest. The problem is, and always has been, that conspiracy theorists want the lede to omit mention of the fact that the commonly understood meaning of conspiracy theory includes the fact that no conspiracy actually exists. Where a conspiracy exists, it is not a conspiracy theory, it is a conspiracy. I have eight books on the subject, and all are clear that in common parlance the phrase conspiracy theory requires that the theory lacks credible evidence. See [9] - note that conspiracism is tied here to motivated rejection of science, and that's also a common theme. Conspiracy theories embody motivated reasoning. Omitting this and sticking to a dictionary definition without context is a failure of WP:NPOV, because tio state that it's a belief in a grand conspiracy without noting that the grand conspiracy doesn't - and usually cannot - exist is a capitulation to loons. Guy (Help!) 19:21, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, actually, no, it's nine: one is written by a conspiracy apologist and mentions the fact that conspiracy theories are implicitly false only in order to complain about it. Guy (Help!) 19:23, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@(User:JzG A2 and B look the same. Or do I need stronger glasses? - LuckyLouie (talk) 19:45, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

They were. I’ve edited it back to my proposed wording now. Not sure why it was changed. Autonova (talk) 20:00, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That was dishonest. I left your version and added the long-standing version, so that people could see what you are actually proposing, which is watering down the lede to exclude the definitional falsity of conspiracy theories. I know that as an admitted Truther you don't accept that, but you have to accept that the idea of including real conspiracies in conspiracy theories is WP:FRINGE. And if you don't, you don't belong on Wikipedia. Oh, and I just noticed you omitted half the current opening para as well. That was dishonest, too. Tut-tut. Guy (Help!) 21:40, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Go back and look. You didn’t “leave my version”, you changed my version. You’re the one being dishonest. Autonova (talk) 08:42, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I fixed it within a minute or so, as I copied in the rest of the text. You did not make it easy to spot the overlay of your POV in what purported to be a discussion of existing widely agreed versions. Guy (Help!) 11:52, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Probably shouldn't attach all the refs to your preferred choice, though. - LuckyLouie (talk) 20:06, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

None of that sounds good. There are many definitions (see here, for example). I would suggest using something along the lines of the definition from Oxford Dictionary (currently cited on the page). My very best wishes (talk) 20:11, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Any definition that includes something like "nonexistent conspiracy" will be a magnet for conspiracy theorists who will argue that their conspiracy actually exists. --Guy Macon (talk) 20:23, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I mean, that's going to happen regardless. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 21:09, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Any version that references the fact that conspiracy theories are definitionally false will be a magnet for conspiracy theorists. That's why we're here in the first place. Autonova, a Truther, wanted to remove "without credible evidence", so I worked up a replacement that is directly referenced to high quality sources and leaves no room for ambiguity. Autonova prefers dictionary definitions,seemingly because they are short and don't include the cultural background which is what encyclopaedias are for. Note that the two initial proposals both omitted key text about the definitional falsity of conspiracy theories. It's a sort of Wikipedia version of Originalism. Guy (Help!) 21:46, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

C A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors – that lacks consistent evidence and relies circular reasoning.Slatersteven (talk) 10:37, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Important facets of the definition of conspiracy theory

Discussion continued below

We're not going to agree on a form of words if we don't agree on what reality the form of words should be reflecting. From my reading, these are the essential facets of conspiracy theories and conspiracist ideation:

It involves a conspiracy - this seems to be common ground, and if this were a grade school dictionary we could stop there I guess.
The conspiracy is nefarious and involves powerful actors - also appears to be common ground?
The conspiracy is not real - supported by multiple sources but consistently disputed here by conspiracy theorists.
The theory is unfalsifiable and insulates itself form refutation by circular reasoning - subject of much recent work due to study of the life-threatening effects of conspiracist ideation around climate change, vaccines etc. (e.g. Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017-12-07). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Current Directions in Psychological Science. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. ISSN 0963-7214. PMC 5724570. PMID 29276345.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link); Goertzel, Ted (2010-07-11). "Conspiracy theories in science". EMBO Reports. 11 (7): 493–499. doi:10.1038/embor.2010.84. ISSN 1469-221X. PMC 2897118. PMID 20539311.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link); van der Linden, Sander (2015-12-07). "The conspiracy-effect: Exposure to conspiracy theories (about global warming) decreases pro-social behavior and science acceptance". Personality and Individual Differences. 87: 171–173. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.045.; "The ironclad logic of conspiracy theories and how to break it". phys.org. Retrieved 2019-02-22.; Berinsky, Adam J. (2017-04-05). "Rumors and Health Care Reform: Experiments in Political Misinformation". British Journal of Political Science. pp. 241–262. doi:10.1017/S0007123415000186. Retrieved 2019-02-22.; Oliver, J. Eric; Wood, Thomas J. (2014-03-05). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion: CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND MASS OPINION". American Journal of Political Science: 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps.12084. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
Conspiracist ideation may be considered pathological, or at least be indicative of pathological psychology (Freeman, Daniel; Bentall, Richard P. (2017-03-29). "The concomitants of conspiracy concerns". Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 52 (5): 595–604. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1354-4. ISSN 0933-7954. PMC 5423964. PMID 28352955.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link), Barron, David; Morgan, Kevin; Towell, Tony; Altemeyer, Boris; Swami, Viren (November 2014). "Associations between schizotypy and belief in conspiracist ideation". Personality and Individual Differences. 70: 156–159. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.040.)
Conspiracist ideation is irrational ("Crazy Beliefs, Sane Believers: Toward a Cognitive Psychology of Conspiracy Ideation - CSI". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)) or at least is countered by rational patterns of thought (Swami, Viren; Voracek, Martin; Stieger, Stefan; Tran, Ulrich S.; Furnham, Adrian (December 2014). "Analytic thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories". Cognition. 133 (3): 572–585. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2014.08.006.).

As long as we're thinking about the lede, those are the points I think we need to bring out. Guy (Help!) 22:24, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That does seem to cover most of the major points.Frankly, I think the current lede covers this nicely. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 23:01, 22 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Excellent summary, —Paleo Neonate – 10:07, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Very good JzG, thanks for the summary. I agree that the current lead covers that very well. -Roxy, the dog. wooF 11:22, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I looked at the above very carefully, and my conclusion is that the current lead isn't broken and does not need fixing. --Guy Macon (talk) 12:52, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Current lead looks pretty good, IMO. JoelWhy?(talk)
The current lead is fine, and certainly not worth all this. Why don't we call it a local consensus, and go do something else instead? One user disagreeing with everyone else does not constitute a crisis on our part and does not necessitate an RfC. GMG ^talk 14:46, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's multiple editors now, not just me. Autonova (talk) 15:11, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@GreenMeansGo: One doesn't need a "crisis" in order to post an RfC. Indeed, the "crisis" mentality seems to be coming entirely from the editors who are opposed to the RfC, not the editors who are proponents of it. Leviv ich 17:14, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

99% of this discussion is one editor banging their head against a fairly strong local consensus and trying to find some way around it. You need an RfC when the local consensus is unclear; not when the local consensus doesn't sit well with a single editor who hasn't gotten anywhere after dozens of pages of discussion. GMG ^talk 17:22, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I refer to Robert McClenon's comment below, the comments at DRN, and the comments by other editors here. It's not one editor. And, in my opinion, 99% of this conversation is one editor being badgered, not badgering. Leviv ich 17:26, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Some counter points

This is a good summary of one side, I have no problem with including the above material. My issue is that there is an entire other side to the argument, reliably sourced, which is currently not present in the lead and thus leaves it presenting a non-neutral point of view:

Joseph Uscinki: "Given that conspiracy theories could be true, I warn against labeling conspiracy theories using a true/false dichotomy. I instead argue in favor of treating conspiracy theories as relatively more or less suspect based upon the amount of verifiable evidence in their favor", "Over the long term, conspiracy theories incentivize good behavior by the powerful: if the powerful conspire, someone will be watching, investigating, and publicizing" [10]
Charles Pigden: "we are rationally entitled to believe in conspiracy theories, if that is what the evidence suggests. Some conspiracy theories are sensible and some are silly, but if they are silly this is not because they are conspiracy theories but because they suffer from some specific defect –for instance, that the conspiracies they postulate are impossible or far-fetched. But conspiracy theories as such are not epistemologically unclean, and it is often permissible - even obligatory - to believe them. For sometimes the case for conspiracy can be rationally overwhelming, ‘proved beyond reasonable doubt’, and even when it is not, belief in a conspiracy is often a rational option." [11]
Matthew X R Dentith: "the fact that some theory is a conspiracy theory is not itself a reason for rejecting the theory", "All a conspiracy theory is is a candidate explanation of an event that cites a conspiracy as a salient cause. Like any explanation, we must have good grounds for believing it to be the best explanation. Whilst we might be worried about claims that conspiracies exist because backing up such claims requires that all the conditions of conspiratorial activity have been satisfied or because they might be vague with respectto the who or the how, this does not mean that we have a warranted prima facie suspicion that conspiracy theories, in general, are bunk" [12]
David Coady: "Yesterday’s conspiracy theories often become today’s incontrovertible facts.", "It’s reasonable to suppose many of the views that are now dismissed or mocked as conspiracy theories will one day be recognised as having been true all along. Indeed, the net effect of terms such as “conspiracy theory” and “conspiracism” is to silence people who are the victims of conspiracy, or who (rightly or wrongly) suspect conspiracies may be occurring. These terms serve to herd respectable opinion in ways that suit the interests of the powerful.", "Conspiracy theories, like scientific theories, and virtually any other category of theory, are sometimes true, sometimes false, sometimes held on rational grounds, sometimes not.", "When someone asserts that a conspiracy has taken place (especially when it is a conspiracy by powerful people or institutions) that person’s word is automatically given less credence than it should because of an irrational prejudice associated with the pejorative connotations of these terms." [13]
Kurtis Hagen: "controversial conspiracy theories might sometimes be on to something, and thus help reveal important truths, thwart pernicious conspiracies, and serve as a deterrent to other would-be conspiracies", "one must worry that bias against conspiracy theories is influencing the results of social science scholarship, with one biased finding building upon another" [14]

If we could combine these points into the other points, we could reach a consensus and give a more neutral point of view in the lead. If not, we should decide on the options for the RfC. Autonova (talk) 17:43, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's not really a counterpoint at all. "But maybe a conspiracy theory could be true in the future" is pure wishing on a star. David Coady conflates them with scientific theories, which are demonstrable & repeatable, unlike conspiracy theories. It's the reverse of the tired old "it's just a theory!" bullshit creationists use when arguing against evolution. Just a rehash of "but it says theory, therefore it must be rigorous!" nonsense.

In short, none of those opinions add up to anything but pablum. They might be useful later in the article as examples of the arguments conspiracy theorists believe, but they've got no place in the lede. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 17:53, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Coady is not predicting the future, he's merely asserting that previous conspiracy theories have turned out to be true, so it's "reasonable" to think this will happen again at some point. He's not saying conspiracy theories are exactly like scientific theories, only that they are sometimes true, sometimes false, sometimes rational, sometimes not. Autonova (talk) 18:29, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I wasn't referring to Coady with that statement, but to #1 by Uscinki. I then referred to a separate point by Coady.— The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 20:45, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This is not a "both sides" issue. You seek to "balance" weighty academic sources with material that is either not academic, or is stated to be in forthcoming books which have not appeared, or whatever. I already reviewed these sources, they are definitely at a lower level than those I cited above - and your interpretation of them also appears to be coloured by a desire not only to take the sting out of the term "conspiracy theory" but also to allow for the possibility that manifestly false theories such as those of the Truther movement, might be, or even are, true, and should continue to be investigated, even though they have been shown to be without merit. It is entirely false to assert that "Yesterday’s conspiracy theories often become today’s incontrovertible facts". In fact most of them have become less compelling with time - unless you define conspiracy theory in the way yous eem to prefer, which is to say, incorporating actual conspiracies as well - but that is not how the term is commonly used. Guy (Help!) 18:39, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Seeing as compromise or consensus seems out of the question, please define your option for the RfC. Autonova (talk) 18:42, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The thing is, Coady's claim on which you place such emphasis, is erroneous. What he is saying is that some conspiracies were originally characterised as conspiracy theories by those vested in the conspiracy, with some success in the wider media. That's not in doubt. But Iran-Contra or Watergate, which were investigated and rapidly shown to be true, are not like 9/11 "truth" and anti-vaccination conspiracies which have been investigated and rapidly - and repeatedly, across multiple investigations - shown to be false. A provisional label that turns out to be incorrect does not undermine the label or its normal definition. Most people who claim to cure cancer with one patent treatment are quacks. One day, there may be one such treatment that actually works, but it won't undermine the fact that all previous claims have been quackery and it won't undermine the definition of cancer quackery as fraudulent claims to cure cancer.

A conspiracy theory is not actually a conspiracy. By definition. The fact that Weinberger, Abrams and the rest conspired to violate US Federal law does not in any way prove that 9/11 was an inside job - in fact, it is a proof point to the contrary, because despite the relatively small size of the Iran/Contra conspiracy and the seriousness of the crime, the entire thing was blown wide open almost immediately. A point Grimes makes rather well, in fact (Grimes, David Robert (2016-01-26). Bauch, Chris T. (ed.). "On the Viability of Conspiratorial Beliefs". PLOS ONE. 11 (1): e0147905. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147905. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4728076. PMID 26812482.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)), but which can neatly be summed up as: any conspiracy large enough to be considered significant, would remain secret for no more than a few years. Guy (Help!) 19:02, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Back to that RfC wording

Discussion continued below

...unless you guys want to write a few more thousand words, it seems like there is broad consensus that the "A" language for an RfC to change the lead paragraph should be the current lead paragraph, which is:

A (current lead):

A conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy^[1] or the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable.^[2] Evidence showing it to be false, or the absence of proof of the conspiracy, is interpreted by believers as evidence of its truth, thus insulating it from refutation.^[3]^[4]

References

^ 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

...which means, I think, the next step is to develop the "B" proposed language. There were several suggestions above by a few editors. If needed, a B and a C could be proposed. But I'd suggest it's a better use of time to figure out the B language and run the RfC, than it is to convince editors who support A to change their minds. Leviv ich 18:51, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

B1 (prior lead):

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy—generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors—without credible evidence.

I agree. My proposal for "B" proposed language is:

B2 (proposed lead):

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

References

^ Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
^ Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^ "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

And there is also, per Slatersteven,

C

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors – that lacks consistent evidence and relies on circular reasoning.

Autonova (talk) 18:59, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A', then B1 (prior lede which you "forgot" to include again). Strongly oppose B2 as it's an obvious whitewash. More or less OK with C as the basis for further work (we could replace "consistent evidence" something like "objective proof" based on the sources I cited, that would be better), but it's not as clear as A IMO. Cis of course only a minor variant on B1, with just a small tweak to the way we represent the fact that there is no actual conspiracy. Out of interest, does anyone other than Autonova support a version that does not include at least something to the effect that conspiracy theories are definitionally implicitly false? Guy (Help!) 19:07, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't forget to include it because I'm not proposing it. If we're happy with those 4 we can label them as A B C and D and those can be the options. Autonova (talk) 19:14, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, I've just realised, A is two sentences whereas the others are one sentence. It wouldn't be a fair comparison. Could we cut A down to the first sentence, or merge both into one sentence? As I mentioned at the beginning, the contention is a conspiracy theory is [x]. Autonova (talk) 19:17, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No. We are talking about the lede. The existing first para is equivalent to the former first para in terms of framing the article. It was a long sentence, now it's two shorter ones, but they have the same overall effect. The fact that you're not proposing the prior lede is irrelevant. It's not up to you, you don't own this article. The prior lede is clearly an option, so needs to be on the table. Guy (Help!) 19:23, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Ok fine. Autonova (talk) 19:32, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

RfC wording

Option A

A conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy^[1] or the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable.^[2] Evidence showing it to be false, or the absence of proof of the conspiracy, is interpreted by believers as evidence of its truth, thus insulating it from refutation.^[3]^[4]

References

^ 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

Option B

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy—generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors—without credible evidence.

Option C

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors.^[1]^[2]^[3]

References

^
Dictionary definitions:
- Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, s.v. 4
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Longman Dictionary. LDOCE Online. Retrieved 24 February 2019."a belief by a number of people that something is the result of a conspiracy"
^
Definitions in academic journals:
- Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
- Sunstein; Vermule (2009). "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures". The Journal of Political Philosophy. 17 (2): 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x. "an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished)"
- Dentith, Matthew, X. (2012). In defence of conspiracy theories (PDF) (Thesis). University of Auckland. Retrieved 24 February 2019.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)"an explanation of an event that cites the existence of a conspiracy as a salient cause"
- van Prooijen, Jan Willem; Douglas (2017). "Conspiracy theories as part of history: The role of societal crisis situations". Memory Studies. 10 (3): 323–333. doi:10.1177/1750698017701615. "commonly defined as explanatory beliefs of how multiple actors meet in secret agreement in order to achieve a hidden goal that is widely considered to be unlawful or malevolent"
- Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Memory Studies. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. "[explanations] of important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
- Oliver, Eric; Wood, Thomas (2014). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion". American Journal of Political Science. 58 (4): 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps12084. "narratives about hidden, malevolent groups secretly perpetuating political plots and social calamities to further their own nefarious goals"
- Basham, Lee (2013). "Malevolent Global Conspiracy". Journal of Social Philosophy. 34 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1111/1467-9833.00167. "an explanation of important events that appeals to the intentional deception and manipulation of those involved in, affected by, or witnessing these events. These deceptions/manipulations involve multiple, cooperating players."
- Keeley, Brian (2013). "Of conspiracy theories". Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109–126. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1084585. "Many millions of people hold conspiracy theories; they believe that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event"
- Wood, Michael J. (2014). "Dead and alive: beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories". Social Psychology and Personality Science. 3: 767–773. "A conspiracy theory is defined as a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal"
^
Definitions in books:
- Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"
- Sunstein, Cass (2014). Conspiracy theories & other dangerous ideas. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2662-5. "an effort to explain some event or practice by referring to the secret machinations of powerful people who have also managed to conceal their role"

Option D

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors – that lacks consistent evidence and relies on circular reasoning.

Any objections to this? Autonova (talk) 19:47, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'd like to suggest a tweak to A. The second sentence bothers me, because when I read it, I apply "absence of" to both clauses when it only applies to the first. If we reversed them, it would reduce the chance of misinterpretation. Suggest: "Evidence showing it to be false, or the absence of proof of the conspiracy, is interpreted..." Schazjmd (talk) 21:16, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Done. Any other objections? Autonova (talk) 21:29, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Objection: There no need for an RfC

Discussion continued below

An RfC is needed when talk page discussion has hit a snag and a consensus cannot be found. That is absolutely not the case here. The clear consensus in this discussion is that not being supported by factual evidence is a necessary defining component of a conspiracy theory. Only Autonova, and Autonova alone, thinks otherwise. It is Autonova's continuing objections to reasonable adjustments of the lede sentence that has been the engine driving this discussion from day one. However, unanimity is not required to have a consensus, and the objections of a single editor, however vociferously and continually expressed, do not mean that there has not been a consensus formed. Since that has been the case here, there is no need for an RfC.

My feeling is -- and I believe that Guy has shown this throughout the discussion -- that Autonova is pushing the RfC simply because he or she personally disagrees with the consensus opinion, and is therefore pushing their POV, using the unnecessary and unwanted RfC as cover. I object to that, and will bring my objections to the noticeboards if the RfC is posted, on the basis of a violation of WP:CPUSH. Beyond My Ken (talk) 22:27, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I agree, but Autonova thinks there should be no mention of conspiracy theories being false and Slatersteven wants the original opening sentence with a minor tweak to the last part. Guy (Help!) 22:28, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Since Slatersteven does not agree with Autonova as far as my reading of the discussion goes, then Autonova's views are not consensus views and can be ignored. We can discuss Slatersteven's tweak without the need for an all-encompassing RfC in which Autonova's non-consensual viewpoint is included, that's clearly simply a way of trying to sneak it in by the back door. Beyond My Ken (talk) 22:34, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

User:ZiaLater recommended an RfC and said that "There needs to be a more neutral way to word the lede". So the assertion that I'm the only one who has an issue with the wording of the lede is false. An RfC was also recommended by User:Robert McClenon. Autonova (talk) 22:49, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I already worded it more neutrally. It's now 100% in line with high quality sources, no possible accusation of synthesis. Guy (Help!) 22:56, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Originally the dispute was over synthesis. The latest edit does not have a dispute over synthesis but one over NPOV as it selects only certain sources which give a biased POV. This view is apparently held by User:ZiaLater also. Autonova (talk) 23:24, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia IS biased when it comes to fringe concepts, of which conspiracy theories are a prime example. As as one academic paper put it, conspiracy theories are commonly classified with other "epistemically unwarranted beliefs" such as pseudoscientific and paranormal claims. There is no requirement to be neutral when describing WP:FRINGE theories. - LuckyLouie (talk) 14:10, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The definition of conspiracy theory as given in proposal C is not fringe, as it is supported by all dictionary sources and the vast majority of academic sources. There is agreement in the literature about what a conspiracy theory is. Autonova (talk) 17:17, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Newcomer to this discussion here -- the current lede I believe is an excellent summary of what a 'conspiracy theory' is. It's a bit better than what was there a week ago, particularly because of the "insulation from refutation" characterization, and it's strongly sourced. I agree with Guy that the discussion above shows consensus. Not unanimity, which is not required, but consensus. Antandrus (talk) 23:29, 23 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with Antandrus just above; there is a consensus for the present wording. Tom Harrison ^Talk 14:25, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Per WP:Consensus, "reaching consensus involves an effort to incorporate all editors' legitimate concerns". All of my concerns have been legitimate, per my reliable sources. In all of the discussion above I have used reliable sources and addressed all points put to me. Several times I have offered compromises and none whatsoever have been offered to me. I have been disallowed from adding any of my own reliable sourced material to the article. I have even been disallowed from adding an NPOV tag to the article while the discussion was underway, and threatened to have an admin ban me if I restored the tag. I have consistently used respectful, objective language, while several personal attacks and abusive language have been used on me (examples: "start fucking reading or get fucking lost", "Go back and actually read my fucking comment", "Fine with that, right after we topic ban the conspiracy kooks so they don't derail the discussion"). The definition of the term given in the article's first section is different than in the lede, so as it is, the article even contradicts itself. Two editors agree the lede is not neutral and four editors have agreed to hold an RfC. I'm sorry, that is not consensus. All the preparation for an RfC has been made and I think it could help us reach consensus. Autonova (talk) 00:03, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

When I began watching this discussion, the lede was "A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy—generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors—without credible evidence." Autonova objected to "without credible evidence". That phrase has been removed from the current lede. I think the opening paragraph is much subtler and stronger now, but it definitely seems like the rewrite was a compromise to try and address your objections, Autonova. so it doesn't seem quite fair to insist that no compromises whatsoever have been offered to you. Schazjmd (talk) 00:13, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The initial disagreement was over WP:synthesis, since the lede wasn't reliably sourced. The current disagreement is over WP:NPOV, since the current lede ignores many reliable sources which would provide any balance whatsoever. In both disagreements I have offered to incorporate reliably sourced suggestions into other editors' suggestions and have been flat out refused every time. Just because the article has changed, doesn't mean the level of agreement has. Autonova (talk) 00:20, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

One legitimate concern was raised: that the phrase "without credible evidence" was potentially a synthesis form primary sources. That has been addressed. Not reflecting conspiracy theorists' preference that we portray conspiracy theories as real, does not constitute a legitimate concern - it is instead special pleading. Guy (Help!) 00:25, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That was addressed but the lack of NPOV of the lede was not. Autonova (talk) 00:34, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Beyond My Ken, perhaps you've forgotten, but this matter has already been to the noticeboards–DRN–where an RfC was suggested. Leviv ich 00:22, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have not forgotten, but it was simply an advisory opinion, not a royal command. There is absolutely no obligation to run an RfC when a consensus has already been established. Beyond My Ken (talk) 03:24, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Few opinions were logged at DRN, not least because, as one editor put it on my talk page, "I'm not going to waste my limited time at DRN with someone who has declared themselves "involved" with a conspiracy theory movement and tried conceal it." We've had conspiracists agitating about this article since forever. I suspect that if they did not agitate, that would be an indication that we were not doing our job. Autonova is an admitted Truther. That is one conspiracy theory that can be definitively stated to be false, and yet here we are. Guy (Help!) 00:25, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Per Wikipedia:No_personal_attacks, comment on content, not on the contributor. Autonova (talk) 00:33, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's not a personal attack to note that you openly espouse a fringe belief that is the subject of the normal definition of conspiracy theory, and therefore you have a clear ideological imperative to undermine the consensus view that conspiracy theories are definitionally false. Guy (Help!) 10:34, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I think the recent change in the lede is dramatic enough to warrant an RfC. It went from being an explanation to a feeling (fear). It's a big enough shift to put into question it's relevance in all the articles where it's currently linked. 74.195.159.155 (talk) 01:16, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Baloney. Beyond My Ken (talk) 03:24, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Comment on RFC

In my opinion, an RFC is useful in two situations. The first is when it is needed because there is no consensus. In the first case, the RFC establishes consensus. The second is when there is disagreement as to whether it is needed, because most of the editors think that there is consensus, but there are one or two editors who disagree. In the second situation, the RFC can finalize consensus. Admins are more likely to be willing to take action against an editor who ignores the consensus of an RFC than to assess a consensus without an RFC. An RFC is more likely to be beneficial than to be harmful. Is the matter so urgent that it can't wait the 30 days for the RFC? Robert McClenon (talk) 00:51, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The matter is not in any respect urgent, because a consensus has been established. This is totally a situation where a single editor is pushing an RfC because they don't agree with the clear consensus. This completely undermines WP:CONSENSUS, a core policy, for the sake of unnecessary process. This is no longer any dispute, except in the mind of Autonova. Beyond My Ken (talk) 03:21, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Beyond My Ken, are you afraid consensus will be against you? Leviv ich 03:35, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Nope. I simply think it's important not to allow fringe advocates to disrupt Wikipedia in the hope of pushing their POV. Beyond My Ken (talk) 03:37, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Do you think Wikipedia editors are so stupid that they'll be fooled by a fringe advocate's RfC (not saying that's what he is)? This talk page is like 10x the size it would have been if everyone had just let him post the RfC without all the bullshit. The RfC would have been much less disruptive. Leviv ich 03:41, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion would be of zero length if Autonova hadn't objected to something in the lede because it did not comport with their distorted view of reality. As for Wikipedia editors being "stupid", where did I say that? Where did I even imply that? I didn't anywhere. What I've said is that a consensus has already been determined, so running an RfC undermines WP:CONSENSUS in favor of unnecessary process, hence violating WP:BURO. Further, CPUSH fringe editors should not be rewarded for their disruptive POV-pushing by having their rejected POVs re-considered as part of an RfC. please don't draw improper inferences from what I write. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:08, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't say you said that (nor was it my intent to imply it). C'mon, by now you know if I have something to say to you I'd say it outright :-) Anyway I meant it in the opposite way: obviously you don't think WP editors are easily fooled, and neither do I. So there really is no harm in letting someone post an RfC. I also don't agree that an RfC undermines consensus; I think it strengthens it; for the exact reasons posted by Robert McClenon at the top of this thread. The users who have expressed that an RfC would be either permissible or advisable in this situation are me, Robert, Ad Orientem, Slatersteven and ZiaLater (correct me if I'm wrong). I don't know what their feelings are on the matter at this point, but obviously we're not all CPUSHing or violating BURO or any other policy in expressing our thoughts here, and neither is the editor who wants to change the lead. We have a process for these situations, why impede it? Leviv ich 04:24, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Autonova's proposal has been well-sourced (more than the current lede) and neutral. By continuing to call him POV pusher you either haven't comprehended what he's been saying or you are being disingenuous. Also, painting him as "fringe" for supporting what's essentially been the lead since 2016 is fairly absurd. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 13:38, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No, Autonova's proposals are not "well sourced". This is discussed above. Autonova's main source is dictionary definitions, which are useless by comparison with the published books and academic studies that support the current version. Other sources Autonova promotes are either as-yet unpublished, self-published, or taken out of context. The consensus of reliable sources is that the term "conspiracy theory" is understood to mean that there is, in fact, no conspiracy. This applies even to sources that would like it not to be true. Books by conspiracists bemoan the fact and argue that it should be otherwise, using arguments identical to those advanced by Autonova above. That's the real problem here. Even conspiracists acknowledge that conspiracy theories are definitionally false, and Autonova is trying to reshape Wikipedia to reflect the world as conspiracists would wish it to be, rather than as it actually is. This is familiar ground for Wikipedia: we have the same from creationists and homeopaths. As to "good faith", hiding your involvement with the Truther movement until it's noted that you did so, is scarcely a good faith action. Neither is proposing versions of the lede which purport to be the historical versions but, crucially, omit the bots you don't like, as if the only neutral options are the versions that don't hurt your feels. I understand why Autonova does this, the psychology of fringe and conspiracist belief is well documented, but it's not in the spirit of honesty and good faith. Guy (Help!) 13:59, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have added more sources in support of proposal C. I've also removed the source you had a problem with because it was for a yet-to-be-published book. Autonova (talk) 15:04, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A 9/11 truther writing an RfC on the Conspiracy Theory article. Watts Wrong With That? -Roxy, the dog. wooF 14:17, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If you don't take ad hominem fallacies seriously then nothing. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:27, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

An assertion that his sources are "useless" compared to yours isn't sufficient to claim his proposal isn't well-sourced.--74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:24, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have added more sources (see proposal C above). Autonova (talk) 15:03, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Cite bombing half the previous lede para does not fix the fact that your only substantive change is to remove references to conspiracy theories being definitionally false, in line with your fringe POV - especially since a healthy number of the sources you propose also make the same point. Guy (Help!) 17:00, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There is clear support in reliable sources for the single definition of "conspiracy theory". To give another definition and only refer to one or two sources would be undue weight. Autonova (talk) 17:23, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You do realize that the bulk of the academic sources in your citation list also support option A and B? None of them reach the conclusion that conspiracy theories DON'T lack credible evidence. - LuckyLouie (talk) 17:33, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm using them in support of my proposed change, as they directly support the explicit definition. If you have an alternative proposal for RfC, now's the time to decide on what it is. Autonova (talk) 17:51, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

...because using good sources (published books and academic studies) doesn't give the conspiracy theorist the result he wants, so the conspiracy theorist has to claim that a proposal that ignores all published books and academic studies and relies soly on dictionary definitions is "well sourced". BTW, if you want THE TRUTH, here it is:[15] --Guy Macon (talk) 14:43, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have added more sources. Autonova (talk) 15:03, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

On the subject of sources, whilst it is true that a definition mmay be X, it is not true that one definition trumps another. If we have contradictory definitions (that is to say they say opposite, not merely different, things) we include both viewpoints. However exclusion (I.E. not saying something) is not contradicting another viewpoint that does say something.Slatersteven (talk) 17:58, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm always open to having multiple definitions which satisfy all sources, however compromise has been ruled out by the others. I'm still open to it though. Autonova (talk) 18:28, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

And as I said there are only "multiple definitions" if there is stated disagreement, not all sources say explicitly the sea is wet [[16]], that does not mean there is disagreement over its wetness.Slatersteven (talk) 18:37, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If you’re arguing that there’s no disagreement that “all conspiracy theories are false/have no evidence”, that’s untrue. I have posted multiple reliable sources above which say “conspiracy theories should be judged as more or less suspect by their evidence”, or similar. Autonova (talk) 18:50, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The sources are essentially unanimous on the question of whether being labelled a conspiracy is generally understood to imply falsity. They then fall into two camps: one that implicitly or explicitly accepts it, and treats conspiracist ideation as a possibly pathological psychological issue of irrationality, and one, a minority, that argues that the common usage should be changed. Virtually the entire literature is predicated on the idea that the defining difference between a conspiracy theory and a conspiracy in everyday usage, is the existence of credible evidence. See also: "evolution is only a theory". Guy (Help!) 15:11, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Reviewing Autonova's added proposed sources indicates quote mining and motivated reasoning. Ignoring dictionary definitions, which are necessarily facile in context,

Goertzel is about belief in conspiracy theories and does nto address the question of truth other than in its implicit assumption that the ten theories surveyed are both false and obviously so to any rational observer.
Uscinski: "Inevitably, we have all debated a conspiracy theory with a true believer. These conversations start reasonably enough but then quickly crumble as the conspiracy theorist tries to make up in quantity of evidence what is lacking in quality of logic." Well, yes. And, relevant here, "while reasonable people can disagree on details, no one wants to live in a world of “anything goes” theoretical nihilism." And "To ward off the hurtful slur of conspiracy theorist, [Glenn] Beck invokes yet another conspiracy theory. “Why is it a concentrated effort now to label me a conspiracy theorist?”" He identifies Watergate as the defining example separating conspiracy from conspiracy theory, and, citing Levy, defines the difference as being the presence of credible evidence from reliable soruces. In other words, a conspiracy theory is a claim of conspiracy which lacks credible evidence, the precise point Autonova seeks to suppress.
Sunnstein & Vermeule assumes CTs to be false - "Are they important and perhaps even threatening, or merely trivial and even amusing?" - and cites prominent theories in the context of their being clearly false, e.g. 9/11 and Rothschild conspiracies. "Our focus throughout is on demonstrably false conspiracy theories, such as the various 9/11 conspiracy theories".
Sunnstein (2014) discusses conspiracy theories in the explicit context of them being false. "While most people do not accept false conspiracy theories, they can nonetheless hear the voice of their inner conspiracy theorist, at least on occasion" and "many erroneous judgments [...] are products of the same forces that produce conspiracy theories". A book onthe danger that conspiracy theories present is an interesting choice for a proposal to remove the fact that conspiracy theories are not true.
Dentith is a thesis, we typically do not cite theses because they do not have the rigorous debate that attends publication in the peer reviewed literature. Regulars will know why: if Wilyman's PhD thesis had been published in a journal, it would have been retracted long ago. And of course it's "in defense of conspiracy theories". Not our remit. His Twitter handle is @conspiracism. Uh-huh.
Van Prooijen and Douglas discusses the prevalence of belief in conspiracy theories based ont he implicit premise that theya re false. The authors conclude that "[the] relationship between societal crisis situations and belief in conspiracy theories is attributable to feelings of fear, uncertainty, and being out of control. These feelings instigate sense-making processes that increase the likelihood that people perceive conspiracies in their social environment." This places CTs squarely in the bucket of paranoid responses. This source does not support removal of references to definitional falsity but does suggest addition of a sentence on the paranoid origins of conspiracist ideation.
Douglas et. al. is written form the perspective that conspiracy theories are false. It references numerous known false theories (e.g. that global warming is a hoax) and says "conspiracy theories have attributes that set them apart from other types of causal explanation [...] they are speculative in that they posit actions that are hidden from public scrutiny,[...] resistant to falsification in that they postulate that conspirators use stealth and disinformation to cover up their actions—implying that people who try to debunk conspiracy theories may, themselves, be part of the conspiracy" and "A related property of conspiracy theories is that they can protect cherished beliefs (e.g., vaccination is harmful; climate change is not a serious concern) by casting overwhelmingly disconfirmatory evidence (e.g., scientific findings) as the product of a conspiracy" - it supports the current lede better than Autonova's proposed version, which omits the crucial factors of existence of, and insulation from refutation or disconfirming evidence.
Oliver et. al. discusses conspiracy theories in the sense of their "paranoid" component. I agree this is important and it may well be valid to extend the existing lede to cover this (see my essential features of a conspiracy theory above). "Given the fantastical and implausible assertions of many conspiracy theories, it is understandable that they are often dismissed as manifestations of a latent psychopathology" also points toward this. The article certainly cannot be taken as evidence for the inherent truth or falsity of theories because, as the authors say, "For this research, we remain decidedly agnostic about the truth claims, accuracy, or epistemological integrity of common conspiracy theories. Our interest is simply in explaining why some people endorse them." As such, this cannot be held to support removal of text about the definitional falsity of conspiracy theories.
Basham is old (2003, predating much of the study on 9/11 and other bogus "conspiracies"), a single-author paper in a low impact factor journal (0.144 at time of publication) and his argument that a grand malevolent worldwide conspiracy is not inherently impossible, is refuted by later work (e.g. Grimes). It is an argument for the possiblity of malevolent global conspiracies which have never been shown to exist in reality. It is cited by the sources used in the current lede, which disagree with its conclusions. The consensus of sources where it is cited is that the salient part is the deceit (e.g. "Alternatively, some theorists have suggested that the key aspect of conspiracy theorizing is the assumption that the public have been intentionally deceived about particular social or political events" in 10.1111/pops.12015). As such, it is fully consistent with the current lede but bnot useful as it speaks only to one vision of what a conspiracy may look like and is essentially silent on the actual existence of the conspiracies other than to say, basically, "Whoa, dude, that would be baaaaad".
Keeley et. al. opens with: "Those who subscribe to conspiracy theories may create serious risks, including risks of violence, and the existence of such theories raises significant challenges for policy and law. [...] Such theories typically spread as a result of identifiable cognitive blunders [...] A distinctive feature of conspiracy theories is their self-sealing quality. Conspiracy theorists [...] may even characterize that very attempt as further proof of the conspiracy. Because those who hold conspiracy theories typically suffer from a “crippled epistemology,” [...] the question whether it is better for government to rebut conspiracy theories or to ignore them, are explored in this light." In other words, conspiracy theories are irrational, the results of poor reasoning, and insulate themselves from refutation. This is more in line with the current lede than with Autonova's preferred version, and this is reflected in the fact that it's currently referenced within the lede.
The actual opening of Wood et. al is: "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 mutually incompatible conspiracy theories are positively correlated in endorsement. In Study 1 (n ¼ 137), the more participants believed that Princess Diana faked her own death, the more they believed that she was murdered. In Study 2 (n ¼ 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." To take this article as support for a sentence omitting mention of conspiracy theories being false, is a gross misrepresentation: what it's actually saying is that conspiracist ideation is irrational, as exemplified by the ability to simultaneously espouse mutually contradictory conspiracy theories. This is, in fact, more in line with the current lede than with Autonova's proposal.

That was a waste of an hour. Guy (Help!) 18:55, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Above, Guy ignores all my dictionary sources saying they're facile (ignoring the complexities of the issue) even though the issue here is the definition of a conspiracy theory. The entire article deals with the complexities of the issue, a simple definition would seem to suit dictionary sources best (indeed, the article itself uses them). Then Guy labels the quoting of journals and books as motivated reasoning/quote mining, before doing exactly that with the sources, presenting a biased POV. The question of the definition of a CT is simple and unambiguous - explicitly quoting sources is not quote mining. Taking isolated quotes from the sources presents a biased POV of each source - we could present the counterbalancing POV by taking other quotes:

Keeley: "There is no a priori method for distinguishing warranted conspiracy theories (say, those explaining Watergate) from those which are unwarranted (say, theories about extraterrestrials abducting humans)"
Uskinski (another paper): "Given that conspiracy theories could be true, I warn against labeling conspiracy theories using a true/false dichotomy. I instead argue in favor of treating conspiracy theories as relatively more or less suspect based upon the amount of verifiable evidence in their favor", "Over the long term, conspiracy theories incentivize good behavior by the powerful: if the powerful conspire, someone will be watching, investigating, and publicizing"
Sunstein and Vermule: “Of course some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true, and under our definition, they do not cease to be conspiracy theories for that reason. The Watergate hotel room used by Democratic National Committee was, in fact, bugged by Republican officials, operating at the behest of the White House. In the 1950s, the Central Intelligence Agency did, in fact, administer LSD and related drugs under Project MKULTRA, in an effort to investigate the possibility of “mind control.” Operation Northwoods, a rumored plan by the Department of Defense to simulate acts of terrorism and to blame them on Cuba, really was proposed by high-level officials (though the plan never went into effect).”
Douglas et al: “Furthermore, history has repeatedly shown that corporate and political elites do conspire against public interests. Conspiracy theories play an important role in bringing their misdeeds into the light”
Van Proojen and Douglas: “While some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true (e.g. the Watergate and Iran–Contra scandals), most conspiracy theories in history have no evidence to support them”
Oliver et al: “respondents who endorse conspiracy theories are not less informed about basic political facts than average citizens. Far from being an aberrant expression of some political extreme or a product of gross misinformation, a conspiratorial view of politics is a widespread tendency across the entire ideological spectrum.”
Lee Basham, Phd, has been cited by 53 and is reliable. Dentith’s thesis has been cited in other literature, however I can use his published book instead. As I included elsewhere above, there is material from other reliable sources, which, while not giving the explicit definition discussed here, contain points worth mentioning and/or agreeing with some of the above quotes: (e.g. [17], [18], [19]). Autonova (talk) 21:00, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Once again, you are engaging in quote-mining and motivated reasoning. Example: Sunstein and Vermule: “Of course some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true, and under our definition, they do not cease to be conspiracy theories for that reason" - they go on to lay out why Watergate ceased to be a conspiracy theory, and it's because credible evidence was presented. As they say, "Our focus throughout is on false conspiracy theories, not true ones" but they go on to note "conspiracy theories are a subset of the large category of false beliefs, and also of the somewhat smaller category of beliefs that are both false and harmful". Implicit in this is that a definition which does not include the fact that a conspiracy theory with evidence is no longer a conspiracy theory, but instead a conspiracy, is incorrect! As Uscinski puts it, "Following this standard, the Watergate conspiracy was a conspiracy theory until [...] [a]uthorities with known expertise in the relevant areas determined that the accusatory perception of a conspiracy by the Nixon administration was valid because there was verifiable evidence." In other words, evidence of the conspiracy renders it no longer a conspiracy theory as commonly understood. All the sources you cite, I think, focus on known false conspiracy theories. 9/11, vaccines, climate change, the Rothschilds, all the subjects of study are false and one hundred percent of the argument over the term is due to people not liking the fact that it implies falsehood. This is the message of pretty much all the sources, even the outliers who decry the fact that the term conspiracy theory is considered pejorative precisely because it is presumptive false, and argue that the world's use of the term should change accordingly. That's what you're trying to accomplish, but that's not our job. Our job is to reflect the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.

And yes, we do exclude dictionary definitions, because this is an encyclopaedia not a dictionary and the whole thing is vastly more complex than a dictionary definition can cover. In the context of what is commonly understood to be a conspiracy theory, a dictionary definition is indeed facile.

The important thing is that, per WP:LEDE, the opening paragraph(s) summarise the subject as commonly understood. There's no reason we can't explore the minor differences between sources as to whether the term conspiracy theory can justly be applied to actual conspiracies or not, in the body. We have no word limit, after all. But the overwhelming preponderance of sources are written from the base assumption that a conspiracy theory is false, even the ones that argue this should not be so. That's the important part. And in fact it's why you're here, I think: you also are conscious of the fact that when your beliefs are termed conspiracy theories, they are generally understood to be incorrect. That is not Wikipedia's problem to fix. Guy (Help!) 21:39, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

After discussing it with Autonova, I'm going to be posting the RfC in the next day or so. I plan to list the (A) current/Guy's version; (B) Autonova's proposal; (C) Slatersteven's proposal; and I will probably also submit a fourth (D) proposal of my own. I'm going to review Guy's analysis above of Autonova's sources and incorporate it into my proposal before posting all four here for any final comment before the RfC goes live. Please post here if anyone has any additional proposals they'd like to have included. Thanks. Leviv ich 19:05, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I would like the prior lede (Option B from the previous discussion) back in the mix. It had consensus support for some time and I still consider it the most accurate per common use. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 20:42, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

As above, you also need the original in there. There's another option as well, which is to add the issues of rationality and pathology in the lede as these are also discussed explicitly in the sources, including the ones Autonova promotes I'll propose an A2 including that. Guy (Help!) 20:51, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It has already been noted by at least four separate editors, and implicitly by at least a few more, that a consensus already exists. (I can add myself to that group as well.) In my opinion, posting an RfC under these circumstances, when it is clearly unnecessary and this fact has already been explained, would be wasting the time of the community and would constitute disruptive editing. Sunrise (talk) 23:05, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Sunrise, thanks for that passive-aggressive threat suggesting that my posting an RfC would violate a conduct policy. You'll find such bullshit ineffective with me. ANI is thataway. Leviv ich 03:26, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No threats are intended, and I only described my assessment of the situation. Of course, you can interpret it as you will. Sunrise (talk) 08:30, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I interpret "no threats are intended" as more bullshit. Leviv ich 17:38, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Given that you're the one who wrote Beyond My Ken, are you afraid consensus will be against you? above, you've got standing whatsoever to prattle on about "passive-aggressive". Oh, and a reminder that one-off disruptions that waste editor time don't warrant sanctions, but making a habit of it does: not a "threat", a description what actually happens and advice you should bear in mind for the future. --Calton | Talk 14:22, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Passive aggressive" is when you're trying to be aggressive (e.g., threatening someone with sanctions) but you do it in a passive way (e.g., framing the threat as an assessment of the situation, or advice to bear in mind for the future). My question to BMK wasn't a threat of any kind, nor was it passive; it was a rhetorical question. Of course BMK wasn't afraid of consensus being against him, he was sure consensus was with him, which was my point: if he's sure about the consensus, then there's no reason to impede an RfC. And if you think I'm being one-off disruptive or making a habit of being disruptive, ANI is still thataway, be sure to bring diffs. Leviv ich 14:54, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently you couldn't be bothered to read what I wrote or completely failed to understand it, which might explain your inability to digest what the other editors are telling you over and over again.--Calton | Talk 13:55, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Got it – prior lead (Option B from previous discussion) will be included. As of right now, I'm thinking: A) prior lead, B) current lead, C) Guy's proposal below, D) Autonova's, E) Slatersteven's, and if I propose one I'll make it F. Given the next thread posted by Guy, I'll hold off on going live until the proposals are settled. Leviv ich 03:51, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I can see, my proposal below supersedes A and Slatersteven's proposal. In fact we can probably simply go with my proposed lede below and see if anyone disagrees, then fix it if they do. Obviously Beyond My Ken and Slatersteven have already expressed support for that version. I suspect that Antandrus, Tom harrison, Schazjmd, JoelWhy, Guy Macon, Roxy the dog, HandThatFeeds, PaleoNeonate and GreenMeansGo would also be fine with it, as it's a refinement of the existing lede, which they have already said they support. If that is true then it leaves only you and Autonova thinking that any alternative formulation is required. Guy (Help!) 11:00, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have not commented on this specific reincarnation of this debate, but on the one that was born last August and died last September (Archive 19). Count me in as a proponent of your proposal below. --Hob Gadling (talk) 11:31, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Let me make my support explicit. I disagree with Autonova -- I think he is taking us in the wrong direction, and support the proposal below. I think it is well-thought-out and improves an already good lead. In fact, the only thing I wi`sh was different is that I wish "The Other Guy" would read [ http://howardowens.com/lede-vs-lead/ ]. I'm just saying. --Guy Macon (talk) 15:58, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Heh! I have only recently started using lede because it seems to be the term of art preferred here. I always knew it as lead, myself. Guy (Help!) 16:59, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

[ https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/bury-the-lede-versus-lead ] Leviv ich 17:34, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Well, it is a bit easier for foreigners like me if different words with different pronounciations are not spelled the same. When I first encountered the term "lead guitar", I asked myself, "Isn't that too heavy to be practical? Musicians are weird." So I still like "lede".

Man, has this become far off-topic. So, to be worthy of this Talk page, I'll just say that Guy's characterization "well-thought-out and improves an already good lead" is right on. --Hob Gadling (talk) 06:57, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I use "lede" because that's what it's traditionally called in journalism, specifically to differentiate it from lead, which is (as I understand it) what type was made of. Beyond My Ken (talk) 07:06, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I may be one of the few people here who have actually set movable type. My school was home to the third printing press in England, and we still had platen presses when I was there. Wouldn't be allowed now, of course. Way too dangerous! All those cogs and no press brake. Guy (Help!) 08:57, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I realize this discussion is ongoing, but honestly I just can't be bothered to wade through the several pages of required reading (easily 30-50% of which is off-topic). If this ever condenses down into anything resembling conciseness, feel free to ping me. GMG ^talk 20:42, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed lede

Discussion continued below

I've been re-reading the lede, it could do with a little tightening up to reduce redundancy, and also because it is actually rather short for the length and complexity of the article.

This version encompasses additional points in the sources presented here, including those presented by Autonova, with added extra brevity. I have pulled together what I hope is the essential core of Slatersteven's proposal, folded in redundancy from the section on Barkun and expanded the last paragraph to include additional sources I noted above.

A conspiracy theory is the fear^[1] or assumption of conspiracy by government or other powerful actors to carry out some illegal or nefarious purpose,^[2]^[3] when other explanations are more probable.^[4] Conspiracy theories are generally unfalsifiable and reinforced by circular reasoning - both evidence against the conspiracy and an absence of evidence for it, are re-interpreted as evidence of its truth,^[5]^[6] the conspiracy becomes a matter of faith rather than proof.^[7]^[8]

According to the political scientist Michael Barkun, conspiracy theories rely 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.^[9]

Belief in conspiracy theories is often considered irrational,^[10]^[11] and sometimes harmful or pathological^[12]^[13] - to describe something as a conspiracy theory is considered pejorative and implies that it is untrue, based on superstition, prejudice or at least insufficient evidence.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

References

^ 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
^ Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"
^ Aaronovitch,, David (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
^ Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.
^ Barkun 2003, p. 7. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBarkun2003 (help)
^ Barkun, Michael (2011). Chasing Phantoms: Reality, Imagination, and Homeland Security Since 9/11. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 10. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 3–4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ "Crazy Beliefs, Sane Believers: Toward a Cognitive Psychology of Conspiracy Ideation - CSI". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Swami, Viren; Voracek, Martin; Stieger, Stefan; Tran, Ulrich S.; Furnham, Adrian (December 2014). "Analytic thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories". Cognition. 133 (3): 572–585. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2014.08.006.
^ Freeman, Daniel; Bentall, Richard P. (2017-03-29). "The concomitants of conspiracy concerns". Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 52 (5): 595–604. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1354-4. ISSN 0933-7954. PMC 5423964. PMID 28352955.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)
^ Barron, David; Morgan, Kevin; Towell, Tony; Altemeyer, Boris; Swami, Viren (November 2014). "Associations between schizotypy and belief in conspiracist ideation". Personality and Individual Differences. 70: 156–159. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.040.

Needless to say I don't think we're anywhere near ready for an RfC yet, as this discussion is still bringing new ideas. Guy (Help!) 22:45, 24 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This seems to me to be a good, tight lede section. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:32, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, this seems a good option.Slatersteven (talk) 10:10, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Looks good. Tom Harrison ^Talk 11:18, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This is a satisfying lede. It differentiates the concept "conspiracy theory" from the literal "theory about a conspiracy". I especially like the additions of "unfalsifiable" and "circular reasoning", which really seem to be the heart of the phenomena. Schazjmd (talk) 13:34, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This lead is an excellent improvement to the article. Thanks to Guy for his hard work and research. - LuckyLouie (talk) 13:37, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I think that this is an improvement. I'm wondering if "proof" in "faith rather than proof" is the ideal word (I also didn't check yet if the sources termed it this way). The following is also my own synthesis which may not matter unless also supported by sources: the summary of Barkun's description strikes me as very similar to magical thinking principles... —Paleo Neonate – 13:54, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Are there any more sources to support the fear part besides the one cited? Having that as the opening statement seems to violate WP:DUE.--74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:00, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Pipes' "fear" statement is referenced and echoed in Byford. Hofstadter says "[T]he fact that movements employing the paranoid style are not constant but come in successive episodic waves suggests that the paranoid disposition is mobilized into action chiefly by social conflicts that involve ultimate schemes of values and that bring fundamental fears and hatreds, rather than negotiable interests, into political action." Uscinski makes numerous references to fear as a motivator, especially around the "red menace" conspiracy theories of the 1950s. van Prooijen says "Evidence suggests that the aversive feelings that people experience when in crisis—fear, uncertainty, and the feeling of being out of control—stimulate a motivation to make sense of the situation, increasing the likelihood of perceiving conspiracies in social situations". Basham contextualises conspiracist ideation as a response to fears, when discussing if such fears might be rational or not. Oliver and Wood open by saying that throughout history, "[o]ften these sentiments go beyond a general distrust of government and encapsulate fears of larger, secretive conspiracies." I don't think it's a particularly contentious view that belief in conspiracies would evoke fear. Guy (Help!) 15:02, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Fear is indeed an important factor. —Paleo Neonate – 16:00, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Every time I read a new version, I like it better than the last. In my view "A conspiracy theory is the fear" is incorrect and unsupported by the sources. "Fear" is an important factor, and an important motivator, per the sources. But that doesn't mean a conspiracy theory = fear. The sources provide for other possible motivators (uncertainty, the feeling of being out of control, hatred, distrust). Fear is an emotion; the RSes don't portray a conspiracy theory as being an emotion. It's an idea or an explanation–in short, a theory. Also, I disagree with name-dropping one of the sources in the lead as WP:UNDUE. Leviv ich 17:42, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If grammar/wordsmithing is the only issue, there are many possible variations, such as:

A conspiracy theory is the fearful speculation or assumption of conspiracy...
A conspiracy theory is the fear-based belief or assumption of conspiracy...
A conspiracy theory is the fear-inspired construct or assumption of conspiracy...

...Etc. - LuckyLouie (talk) 18:20, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I Strongly oppose replacing the current lead with seven characters ...Etc. Oh... Wait. Never mind. --Guy Macon (talk) 18:44, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

As I understand it, the suggestion is that it is the fear of a conspiracy or the assumption of a conspiracy. Either is plausible, both are supported in the literature. Guy (Help!) 21:50, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The problem that immediately springs to mind is the use of "proof." I might try "both evidence against the conspiracy and an absence of evidence for the conspiracy are re-interpreted as evidence of its truth." --tronvillain (talk) 21:19, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Mark it up, let's have a look. Guy (Help!) 21:44, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's good, Tronvillain Schazjmd (talk) 01:58, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think it's a particularly contentious view that belief in conspiracies would evoke fear. That's not what's being contended. What's being contended is it's placement in the very first statement of the lede. The view that ' firetrucks are red' is also not contentious, but that doesn't mean that firetrucks are red by definition. They aren't. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 22:13, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Firetrucks are red" is simply not an accurate statement, and can never be. "Most firetrucks are red" might be accurate, but would need support from reliable sources. "Many firetrucks are red" is a "sky is blue" truism and does not require referencing. Given this, it is not true that the statement "Firetrucks are red" is not contentious, so your analogy is false. "Firetrucks are red" is a contentious statement. Beyond My Ken (talk) 22:33, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That's an idiosyncratic interpretation of what's written and what I said. Note the existence of the word "or" in the text. The example of the colour of fire appliances looks like a non-sequitur, unless you can show me a substantial literature dealing with the pathological psychology of belief in fire appliances. Guy (Help!) 22:20, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think the RSes support the view that a conspiracy theory is either a fear or an assumption. That dichotomy doesn't make sense to me, as some assumptions are based on fears, and some fears are based on assumptions, and I don't think any RS frames it as that kind of dichotomy (either a fear or an assumption). I think this is synth. A conspiracy theory is an "idea", an "explanation", a "theory". Fear is a motivating factor but it shouldn't be the word that follows "a conspiracy theory is" IMO. Leviv ich 22:53, 25 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's not an exclusive or. It could be either or both. Guy (Help!) 00:24, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What about the contrapositives? If it's not based on fear, or if it's not an assumption, but it otherwise has all the other criteria, is it still a conspiracy theory? What if it's based on hatred or ignorance instead of fear? What if it's a "deduction" or a "hypothesis" instead of an "assumption"? I don't think any RS says it has to either be based on fear or be an assumption, or otherwise it's not a conspiracy theory. Echoing the above, just because fire trucks are red doesn't mean that "a fire truck is a red truck"; just because conspiracy theories are often based in fear or assumptions doesn't mean a conspiracy is a fear or an assumption... it could be something else. Leviv ich 01:17, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. The proposed lede sums up the psychological/pathological aspects well, but the literature is in sharp agreement on the definition. To give two definitions which disagree with 18 is a clear example of undue weight. Autonova (talk) 08:26, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Feel free to find sources that say otherwise, Levivich, but Autonova's comment tells you all you need to know about where support for that view comes from. Wikipedia is not about protecting the feels of people who are wrong. I've listed a number of sources that explicitly discuss fear as a motivator, and show that it is historically important in the growth of conspiracist ideation - it's specifically referenced in relation to the "red menace", Jewish bankers and civil rights, to name but three, but consider also the Sandy Hook "truthers" who are afraid that Obama is coming for their guns. There are many documented instances where conspiracy theories are very clearly a response to fear of an out group or enemy. In fact that's a pretty normal part of any paranoid worldview, and the sources establish a strong interrelationship between paranoia and conspiracist ideation.

Autonova, it doesn't matter how often you claim that "two definitions" "disagree with" your "18", as I ave clearly shown, the very sources you cite also support the current and proposed lede. Your interpretation requires use of a linguistic scalpel, removing text, treating it in isolation, and then claiming that further content in the very same source is "undue" because it contradicts your preferred reading. Guy (Help!) 08:46, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There is no subjectivity or opinion or interpretation when the sources are explicit. Per wp:synth, “do not combine different parts of one source to reach or imply a conclusion not explicitly stated by the source”. Pathology and psychology is real with CTs and important to mention and I have no problem with that because the sources are explicit. The sources are also explicit when it comes to the definition. Autonova (talk) 09:10, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What you are doing is actually the synthesis, but in reverse: you are surgically excising sections of text with which you agree, and using it to repudiate in some cases text in the very same paragraph, or higher up, in the overview or summary, that contradicts you. I'm not the only one who is reading the sources and concluding that this proposed lead is fine. In effect you are arguing that a source that does not say "fire engines are usually red" in a single sentence is a countervailing source to the fact that fire engines are usually red. Most of us have no agenda here: this is not a situation where there are two competing sides, in which aliens shooting JFK from the grassy knoll is a valid alternative to Lee Harvey Oswald having shot him for the book depository. Guy (Help!) 14:02, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds good. I think it should also say that the conspirators are seen as superhumanly powerful, all-knowing and evil. TFD (talk) 00:50, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

In other words, Arbcom. :) --Guy Macon (talk) 04:13, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with the proposed replacement of Proof.Slatersteven (talk) 08:38, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'd go with "fear-based assumption", because "fear" alone may be doing too much work. --Calton | Talk 14:29, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

To allude to Levivich's point, if it's not a "fear-based assumption" it's not a CT? That may be popular with many editors here, but it's incorrect per a host of sources. Also ironic that such a narrow definition would put some of your own edits into question. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 15:49, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Fear or assumption is correct. Some sources say fear, some say assumption, some say assumption based on fear. Historically fear was more common, now assumption is. Guy (Help!) 16:07, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

JzG, you're dodging the question: if a theory about a conspiracy is neither based on fear nor an assumption, is it still a conspiracy theory, per the sources? I think the answer is yes. What do you think? It seems under your proposed language, as it stands, someone with a hypothesis based in hatred (like Jews control the banks) would be able to say it's not a conspiracy theory based on WP's article because it's not an assumption and based in hatred instead of fear. Therefore one of your own goals (not giving room to POV pushers) would be thwarted. Leviv ich 16:21, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Is this debate about fear about some hypothetical conspiracy theory, or can anyone provide an example of a conspiracy theory not based upon fear or provide a source that contradicts the idea that all conspiracy theories are based upon fear?Slatersteven (talk) 16:25, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Is this debate about the color of some hypothetical firetruck, or can anyone provide an example of a firetruck that's not red or provide a source that contradicts the idea that all firetrucks are red? --74.195.159.155 (talk) 16:44, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I don't believe any source says that all conspiracy theories are based upon fear. They say most, etc., and they give other possible bases. Here are some examples from the extensive discussion and quoting in the walls of text above:

Pipes: the paranoid disposition is mobilized into action chiefly by social conflicts that involve ultimate schemes of values and that bring fundamental fears and hatreds, rather than negotiable interests, into political action ("chiefly" ≠ "always")
Oliver and Wood: [o]ften these sentiments go beyond a general distrust of government and encapsulate fears of larger, secretive conspiracies ("often" ≠ "always")
van Prooijen: [the] relationship between societal crisis situations and belief in conspiracy theories is attributable to feelings of fear, uncertainty, and being out of control ("fear, uncertainty and being out of control" ≠ just "fear", and "the relationship between" X and "belief in conspiracy theories" ≠ "conspiracy theories")
van Prooijen again: Evidence suggests that the aversive feelings that people experience when in crisis—fear, uncertainty, and the feeling of being out of control—stimulate a motivation to make sense of the situation, increasing the likelihood of perceiving conspiracies in social situations ("the aversive feelings that people experience when in crisis" ≠ "fear", and "increasing the likelihood of perceiving conspiracies" ≠ "all conspiracy theories are based upon fear")

My whole point, and the point of other editors, is that we shouldn't say or imply "always" when the sources say "usually" or "often" or "generally", etc. etc. It's synth. Leviv ich 16:46, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I shouldn't have said my "whole" point, as another of my sticking points is that we're describing a conspiracy theory as a "fear or assumption" instead of as an idea, explanation, or something similar, as I said in another comment above. Leviv ich 16:53, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

OK, do any sources excpliclty say that all are based upon fear?Slatersteven (talk) 16:48, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Levivich: I am hardly dodging any question, since I have answered it directly. Two questions for you though: (1) do you understand the significance of the word or in the phrase "a conspiracy theory is the fear or assumption of conspiracy by government or other powerful actors"; (2) how many of the sources I have discussed above, have you obtained and read? Guy (Help!) 17:07, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yes and none. If you won’t answer my question, maybe you’ll answer Slater’s. Leviv ich 17:12, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

OK, so you agree that the or is non-exclusive and does not imply that fear is a necessary component, only that it is, as numerous sources identify, one potential defining component, as with the 1950s "red menace". As for the rest, I suggest you read the sources before disputing them based on the word of a fringe believer. Guy (Help!) 20:09, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If 5 sources say "fear" and 5 sources say "assumption" and you combine that into "fear or assumption", that's straight-up, textbook WP:SYNTH and you know it, you've been doing this a lot longer than me. Leviv ich 20:17, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Wrong, and irrelevant. Wrong because by that argument we could not use either despite the number of sources that identify each, and irrelevant because Oliver and Pipes discuss both. Guy (Help!) 23:06, 1 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If anyone is just looking for a fear counterexample, John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories#Federal Reserve conspiracy doesn't involve fear. It does, however involve "the fear or assumption of conspiracy by government or other powerful actors". I can't think of a conspiracy theory that doesn't fit that definition. --Guy Macon (talk) 17:17, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, "fear" is incorrect. I like more the Oxford Dictionary definition: "the theory that an event or phenomenon occurs as a result of a conspiracy between interested parties". Yes, these theories are generally wrong (and that must be emphasized), but it does not mean they are 100% wrong simply by definition. Sometimes, they are signs of significant controversies. For example, speaking about the John F. Kennedy assassination, Ion Mihai Pacepa tells that Lee Harvey Oswald was in fact directed by the KGB, possibly as a "patsy", and Pacepa is definitely an expert. My very best wishes (talk) 19:08, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
- Again, don't confuse criminal conspiracies with conspiracy theories. Please go back through the entire discussion we just had about that. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 19:51, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  OK, let's review. Here's one source that was already discussed:
  
  ...Sunstein and Vermule: “Of course some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true, and under our definition, they do not cease to be conspiracy theories for that reason. The Watergate hotel room used by Democratic National Committee was, in fact, bugged by Republican officials, operating at the behest of the White House. In the 1950s, the Central Intelligence Agency did, in fact, administer LSD and related drugs under Project MKULTRA, in an effort to investigate the possibility of “mind control.” Operation Northwoods, a rumored plan by the Department of Defense to simulate acts of terrorism and to blame them on Cuba, really was proposed by high-level officials (though the plan never went into effect).”
  — User:Autonova
  
  To which the response was:
  
  ... Example: Sunstein and Vermule: “Of course some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true, and under our definition, they do not cease to be conspiracy theories for that reason" - they go on to lay out why Watergate ceased to be a conspiracy theory, and it's because credible evidence was presented. As they say, "Our focus throughout is on false conspiracy theories, not true ones" but they go on to note "conspiracy theories are a subset of the large category of false beliefs, and also of the somewhat smaller category of beliefs that are both false and harmful". Implicit in this is that a definition which does not include the fact that a conspiracy theory with evidence is no longer a conspiracy theory, but instead a conspiracy, is incorrect! As Uscinski puts it, "Following this standard, the Watergate conspiracy was a conspiracy theory until [...] [a]uthorities with known expertise in the relevant areas determined that the accusatory perception of a conspiracy by the Nixon administration was valid because there was verifiable evidence." In other words, evidence of the conspiracy renders it no longer a conspiracy theory as commonly understood. All the sources you cite, I think, focus on known false conspiracy theories. 9/11, vaccines, climate change, the Rothschilds, all the subjects of study are false and one hundred percent of the argument over the term is due to people not liking the fact that it implies falsehood. This is the message of pretty much all the sources, even the outliers who decry the fact that the term conspiracy theory is considered pejorative precisely because it is presumptive false, and argue that the world's use of the term should change accordingly. That's what you're trying to accomplish, but that's not our job. Our job is to reflect the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.
  — User:JzG
  
  I'd emphasize the last bit, "Our job is to reflect the world as it is, not as we wish it to be". No matter how much we wish it to be, no source actually comes out and says explicitly that all conspiracies are 100% false, or 100% born of fear or an assumption, etc., which is why we shouldn't say or imply as much in our lead. Leviv ich 20:09, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

And the proposed text does not say that all conspiracy theories are 100% false. What it says is that (a) conspiracy theories assume a conspiracy when other, more probable explanations exist, and (b) the commonly understood delimiter between a conspiracy theory and a conspiracy, is the existence of credible evidence. Nobody describes Watergate as a conspiracy theory, because the theory was true - it's known, instead, as a conspiracy. But it was called a conspiracy theory at some points up until the evidence became compelling. The term conspiracy theory is generally understood to be an irrational belief unsupported by credible evidence, which is implicitly untrue. Pro-CT sources are completely clear about this: they spend a lot of time arguing that this understanding should be overturned because maybe JFK was murdered by the illuminati after all. Nothing provided to date contradicts the lead, it's just that one conspiracy theorist thinks we should ixnay on the alsefay, and pretty much everyone else disagrees with that apart from you, for some unaccountable reason. Guy (Help!) 20:16, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

And if you were OK with changing the lead to, "A conspiracy theory is generally understood to be an irrational belief unsupported by credible evidence," I would agree with you. Leviv ich 20:19, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Why would we do that? The current proposal is much more comprehensive and nuanced. Oh, wait: to appease a Truther. Guy (Help!) 20:27, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Because, as explained by the sources analyzed in this discussion, some conspiracy theories are neither a "fear" nor an "assumption". The example given in several sources discussed above is Watergate. When Woodward and Bernstein were investigating Watergate, before they proved it true, it was–as the sources describe it–a conspiracy theory. Not based in fear. Not an assumption, but a deduction. Not false, but true. After it was proven true, nobody called it a conspiracy theory anymore. It was "upgraded", as it were, to being called just a "conspiracy", because it's very true that "a conspiracy theory is generally understood to be an irrational belief unsupported by credible evidence" as you put it. That doesn't mean that before it became a "conspiracy" it wasn't a "conspiracy theory" or that it was "fear" or "assumption" or "false" before proven and then suddenly became something different after being proven. It was none of those things, yet it was still a "conspiracy theory" before it was proven to be an actual conspiracy. That's why the current lead fails the contrapositive test I linked to above, and why I think it should be changed. If you disagree, that's fine; if you're happy with your proposed lead despite the subsequent discussion, I'm not asking you to change it or even to agree to its being changed. I'll include your version in the RfC of course (both of them if you'd like). Leviv ich 20:35, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No, Watergate was not a conspiracy theory. It was a very specific crime that was published, fact checked and found true in a very short amount of time. Conspiracy theories have persisted for decades with no corroboration whatsoever. The "everything's a conspiracy theory until the evidence comes out" is bunk. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 21:09, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, Levivich, all conspiracy theories are either a fear or an assumption. The only other thing they could be based on is fact, and if they are a fact, they are, by definition, no longer a conspiracy theory. Watergate was called a conspiracy theory until evidence came to light, after which time it was identified as a conspiracy. Guy (Help!) 22:01, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, but before it was proven true, it was called a conspiracy theory. Do you see what I'm saying? I kinda think you do because it's the point that Uscinski harps about here and here (which I have read) and also here (admittedly haven't read the whole thing). That first link seems like a pretty good survey of the leading literature. He addresses almost every source you've put forward. This isn't a FRINGE or batshit crazy idea; Uscinski's POV should be represented. (And Bigfoot himself can come here and start arguing in favor it, it wouldn't matter, because Uscinski, Parent, and others like him are still legit RSes.) Leviv ich 22:05, 26 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I lived through Watergate. It was never a "conspiracy theory" and was never called a "conspiracy theory", except perhaps by those attempting to downplay it -- although I don't really recall that usage. Impossible as it may be to underatand now, Watergate was something that opened up bit by bit, and it was not clear until late in the process that there was a real honest-to-god conspiracy behind it. Beyond My Ken (talk) 05:13, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There are two ways of looking at it. One is the way favoured by conspiracy theorists: Watergate turned out to be real, therefore conspiracy theory should be a value-neutral term because maybe Elvis did shoot JFK from a grey alien spaceship. The other is the way sources talk about it, which is that conspiracy theories are understood to be false by definition, and cases like Watergate demonstrate that because they are no longer called conspiracy theories once the evidence starts piling up. Wikipedia always has and always should favour the latter, however much conspiracy theorists might prefer otherwise. Guy (Help!) 07:43, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Two examples of ideas explicitly referred to as conspiracy theories which then turned out to be true: Apple engaging in planned obsolescence (mention of conspiracy theory here [20], confirmation by Italian authorities here [21]); Jussie Smollett faked a hate crime attack (use of the term here [22], police have enough evidence to arrest him for doing exactly that here [23]). Autonova (talk) 09:26, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

So all we have to do is wait until the reliable sources who publish research on conspiracy theories incorporate those two examples into their definitions. Then we can use those new definitions and source them to those reliable sources. Until then, the article will have to use the definitions that are used now. We cannot have a footnote saying "Source: Personal communication from User Autonova, using newspaper article [1] and [2] to derive this new definition." --Hob Gadling (talk) 12:37, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Also the Smollett case was never called a conspiracy theory and was blown open within a couple of days, and the Apple case was speculation in a vacuum, Apple confirmed what they had done and why pretty fast, again well before it could take on the independent life that's generally understood to define a conspiracy theory. Anything where the facts are out and essentially uncontended within a few days or weeks doesn't really cut it. Guy (Help!) 13:06, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

As Guy points out, your citation does not show that the conspiracy theory against Apple was true. It shows that Apple got fined for the slowdown they implemented to avoid phones with older batteries shutting down under heavy load. That's different from the conspiracy theory of planned obsolescence. And again why it's frustrating that people keep pulling the "but conspiracy theories turn out to be true!" bullshit. This kind of selective reading of the facts makes everyone wary of that exact line of thinking. — The Hand That Feeds You:^Bite 14:55, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Also the Smollett case was never called a conspiracy theory.

Jussie Smollett hits back at conspiracy theories after attack

However, right-wing conspiracy theorists have attempted to discredit Smollett’s version of events, even accusing him of fabricating details incriminating Trump supporters.

Jussie Smollett conspiracy theory tweets ‘liked’ by Donald Trump Jr.

Smollett also explained why he had declined to hand over his phone to police, a detail that has been seized upon by conspiracy theorists

Are you blind? It's in the title, it's in the url, 'Conspiracy Theory' is even a tag for the article Autonova just posted. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 15:20, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I mean, of course, in the literature. But it's too soon to be there and the thing blew open too quickly for it ever to be likely to do so. Guy (Help!) 15:53, 27 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This proposal is marginally better than the current lede, but we've established there are still some major due weight problems with it as well as logical problems. So when is this RfC gonna happen? --74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:19, 1 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the nudge. I will post an updated roundup of language in the next 24hrs and we can see if anyone has anything to add/remove/change before taking the RfC live. Leviv ich 20:29, 1 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What options do you think the RfC should include? Presumably the original and my proposal above, what else? Autonova's suggestion has already been rejected by a supermajority. Guy (Help!) 23:12, 1 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Still working on it. Leviv ich 03:55, 3 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You wrote "established" when you meant "asserted, to general disagreement". Guy (Help!) 22:53, 1 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No I meant established. As the objections linked in my comment are supported with sources, reason, and WP policy and remain unanswered. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 23:48, 1 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

In which case, you are stating opinion as fact. No, you have not "established" any POV issue. We know of course that conspiracy believers think that any accurate lede has a POV problem, but that's their issue not ours. This version accurately reflects multiple sources. Guy (Help!) 07:38, 2 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Guy is correct in his assessment. 07:48, 2 March 2019 (UTC)

This version accurately reflects multiple sources. So far I've seen only one source define CT as a "fear". If there's an source that defines CT as an "assumption" I must have missed it. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 20:24, 2 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Discussed above with examples. "The red menace" was a fear-based conspiracy theory, for example. Note the text says "fear or" - not both. Are you contending that the sources contradict the idea that some conspiracy theorists believe in bullshit because they are afraid of the vast global conspiracy? A lot of the sources discuss this. Guy (Help!) 08:10, 3 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

RfC Options

Option A: Prior lead

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy—generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors—without credible evidence.

Option B: Current lead

A conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy^[1] or the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable.^[2] Evidence showing it to be false, or the absence of proof of the conspiracy, is interpreted by believers as evidence of its truth, thus insulating it from refutation.^[3]^[4]

References

^ 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

^ David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

^ Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

^ Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

Option C: Autonova's proposal

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors.^[1]^[2]^[3]

References

^
Dictionary definitions:
- Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, s.v. 4
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- "Conspiracy theory definition". Longman Dictionary. LDOCE Online. Retrieved 24 February 2019."a belief by a number of people that something is the result of a conspiracy"
^
Definitions in academic journals:
- Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
- Sunstein; Vermule (2009). "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures". The Journal of Political Philosophy. 17 (2): 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x. "an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished)"
- Dentith, Matthew, X. (2012). In defence of conspiracy theories (PDF) (Thesis). University of Auckland. Retrieved 24 February 2019.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)"an explanation of an event that cites the existence of a conspiracy as a salient cause"
- van Prooijen, Jan Willem; Douglas (2017). "Conspiracy theories as part of history: The role of societal crisis situations". Memory Studies. 10 (3): 323–333. doi:10.1177/1750698017701615. "commonly defined as explanatory beliefs of how multiple actors meet in secret agreement in order to achieve a hidden goal that is widely considered to be unlawful or malevolent"
- Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Memory Studies. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. "[explanations] of important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
- Oliver, Eric; Wood, Thomas (2014). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion". American Journal of Political Science. 58 (4): 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps12084. "narratives about hidden, malevolent groups secretly perpetuating political plots and social calamities to further their own nefarious goals"
- Basham, Lee (2013). "Malevolent Global Conspiracy". Journal of Social Philosophy. 34 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1111/1467-9833.00167. "an explanation of important events that appeals to the intentional deception and manipulation of those involved in, affected by, or witnessing these events. These deceptions/manipulations involve multiple, cooperating players."
- Keeley, Brian (2013). "Of conspiracy theories". Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109–126. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1084585. "Many millions of people hold conspiracy theories; they believe that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event"
- Wood, Michael J. (2014). "Dead and alive: beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories". Social Psychology and Personality Science. 3: 767–773. "A conspiracy theory is defined as a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal"
^
Definitions in books:
- Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"
- Sunstein, Cass (2014). Conspiracy theories & other dangerous ideas. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2662-5. "an effort to explain some event or practice by referring to the secret machinations of powerful people who have also managed to conceal their role"

Option D: Slatersteven's proposal

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy – generally one involving an illegal or harmful act supposedly carried out by government or other powerful actors – that lacks consistent evidence and relies on circular reasoning.

Option E: Guy's proposal

A conspiracy theory is the fear^[1] or assumption of conspiracy by government or other powerful actors to carry out some illegal or nefarious purpose,^[2]^[3] when other explanations are more probable.^[4] Conspiracy theories are generally unfalsifiable and reinforced by circular reasoning - both evidence against the conspiracy and an absence of evidence for it, are re-interpreted as evidence of its truth,^[5]^[6] the conspiracy becomes a matter of faith rather than proof.^[7]^[8]
According to the political scientist Michael Barkun, conspiracy theories rely 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.^[9]
Belief in conspiracy theories is often considered irrational,^[10]^[11] and sometimes harmful or pathological^[12]^[13] - to describe something as a conspiracy theory is considered pejorative and implies that it is untrue, based on superstition, prejudice or at least insufficient evidence.^[5] On a psychological level, studies show Machiavellianism and paranoia are highly correlated with conspiratorial thinking.^[14]

References

^ 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"
^ Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"
^ Aaronovitch,, David (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
^ ^a ^b Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.
^ Barkun 2003, p. 7. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBarkun2003 (help)
^ Barkun, Michael (2011). Chasing Phantoms: Reality, Imagination, and Homeland Security Since 9/11. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 10. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 3–4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ "Crazy Beliefs, Sane Believers: Toward a Cognitive Psychology of Conspiracy Ideation - CSI". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Swami, Viren; Voracek, Martin; Stieger, Stefan; Tran, Ulrich S.; Furnham, Adrian (December 2014). "Analytic thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories". Cognition. 133 (3): 572–585. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2014.08.006.
^ Freeman, Daniel; Bentall, Richard P. (2017-03-29). "The concomitants of conspiracy concerns". Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 52 (5): 595–604. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1354-4. ISSN 0933-7954. PMC 5423964. PMID 28352955.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)
^ Barron, David; Morgan, Kevin; Towell, Tony; Altemeyer, Boris; Swami, Viren (November 2014). "Associations between schizotypy and belief in conspiracist ideation". Personality and Individual Differences. 70: 156–159. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.040.
^ 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): 544–552. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8309.2010.02018.x. PMID 21486312.

Option F: Levivich's proposal

A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of an event as being caused by powerful, evil people working in secret to benefit themselves.^[1] Unlike actual conspiracies, conspiracy theories are generally characterized as perceptions, not realities,^[2] lacking in credible supporting evidence.^[3] Scholars differ on the exact definition of "conspiracy theory".^[4] While many consider conspiracy theories to be necessarily false,^[5] others do not,^[6] and both traditional^[7] and more recent definitions^[8] are subject to debate.^[9]

References

^
For general definitions, see:
- van Prooijen, Jan-Willem; van Vugt, Mark (2018-11-01). "Conspiracy Theories: Evolved Functions and Psychological Mechanisms". Perspectives on Psychological Science. 13 (6): 770–788. doi:10.1177/1745691618774270. ISSN 1745-6916. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p. 770: "A common definition of conspiracy theory is the conviction that a group of actors meets in secret agreement with the purpose of attaining some malevolent goal (e.g., Bale, 2007)."
- Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017-12-01). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Current Directions in Psychological Science. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. ISSN 0963-7214. PMC 5724570. PMID 29276345. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)CS1 maint: PMC format (link): "... explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups (e.g., Goertzel, 1994)."
- Edelson, Jack; Alduncin, Alexander; Krewson, Christopher; Sieja, James A.; Uscinski, Joseph E. (2017-12-01). "The Effect of Conspiratorial Thinking and Motivated Reasoning on Belief in Election Fraud" (PDF). Political Research Quarterly. 70 (4): 933–946. doi:10.1177/1065912917721061. ISSN 1065-9129. Retrieved 2019-03-03.: "... the classic definition: unsubstantiated accusatory beliefs positing small groups working in secret, for their own benefit, and against the common good (Uscinski and Parent 2014, pg. 32) ... a conspiracy theory is a proposed 'explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good' (Uscinski and Parent 2014, 31- 32)."
- Miller, Joanne M.; Saunders, Kyle L.; Farhart, Christina E. (2016). "Conspiracy Endorsement as Motivated Reasoning: The Moderating Roles of Political Knowledge and Trust". American Journal of Political Science. 60 (4): 824–844. doi:10.1111/ajps.12234. ISSN 0092-5853. JSTOR 24877458. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "What most definitions have in common is the notion that conspiracies compose the belief that actors, usually more powerful than the average citizen, are engaging in wide-ranging, 'black-boxed' activities to which individuals can attribute an insidious explanation to a confusing event.'"
- Uscinski, Joseph E.; Klofstad, Casey; Atkinson, Matthew D. (2016-03-01). "What Drives Conspiratorial Beliefs? The Role of Informational Cues and Predispositions" (PDF). Political Research Quarterly. 69 (1): 57–71. doi:10.1177/1065912915621621. ISSN 1065-9129. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "We define conspiracy theory as a proposed explanation of events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of persons (the conspirators) acting in secret for their own benefit, against the common good (Keeley 1999)."
- van der Linden, Sander (2015-12-01). "The conspiracy-effect: Exposure to conspiracy theories (about global warming) decreases pro-social behavior and science acceptance". Personality and Individual Differences. 87: 171–173. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.045. ISSN 0191-8869. Retrieved 2019-03-04. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "A conspiracy theory purports that some covert and powerful individual(s), organization(s) or group(s) are intentionally plotting to accomplish some sinister goal (van der Linden, 2013)."
- Oliver, J. Eric; Wood, Thomas J. (2014). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion". American Journal of Political Science. 58 (4): 952–966. ISSN 0092-5853. JSTOR 24363536. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p. 952: "... narratives about hidden, malevolent groups secretly perpetuating political plots and social calamities to further their own nefarious goals, what we would define as 'conspiracy theory' (Davis 1971)."
- Uscinski, Joseph E.; Parent, Joseph M. (2014). American Conspiracy Theories. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-935180-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p. 32: "For conspiracy theory, we use a standard definition: an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good."
- Barkun, Michael (2013-08-15). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27682-6. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "For our purposes, a conspiracy belief is the belief that an organization made up of individuals or groups was or is acting covertly to achieve some malevolent end."
- Lewandowsky, Stephan; Oberauer, Klaus; Gignac, Gilles E. (2013-05-01). "NASA Faked the Moon Landing—Therefore, (Climate) Science Is a Hoax: An Anatomy of the Motivated Rejection of Science". Psychological Science. 24 (5): 622–633. doi:10.1177/0956797612457686. ISSN 0956-7976. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "... conspiratorial thinking, or conspiracist ideation, defined here as the attempt to explain a significant political or social event as a secret plot by powerful individuals or organizations (Sunstein & Vermeule, 2009)."
- van Prooijen, Jan-Willem; Jostmann, Nils B. (2013). "Belief in conspiracy theories: The influence of uncertainty and perceived morality" (PDF). European Journal of Social Psychology. 43 (1): 109–115. doi:10.1002/ejsp.1922. ISSN 1099-0992. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "These events sometimes give rise to conspiracy theories, which can be defined as explanatory beliefs that involve a number of actors who join together in secret agreement, and try to achieve a hidden goal that is perceived as unlawful or malevolent (Zonis & Joseph, 1994; p. 448–449)."
- Wood, Michael J.; Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M. (2012-11-01). "Dead and Alive: Beliefs in Contradictory Conspiracy Theories" (PDF). Social Psychological and Personality Science. 3 (6): 767–773. doi:10.1177/1948550611434786. ISSN 1948-5506. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "A conspiracy theory is defined as a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal (Coady, 2006; Douglas & Sutton, 2008; Goertzel, 1994)."
- Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M. (2011-09-01). "Does it take one to know one? Endorsement of conspiracy theories is influenced by personal willingness to conspire". The British Journal of Social Psychology. 50 (3): 544–552. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8309.2010.02018.x. ISSN 2044-8309. PMID 21486312. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "A conspiracy theory is defined as an attempt to explain the ultimate cause of a significant political or social event as a secret plot by a covert alliance of powerful individuals or organizations (e.g., McCauley & Jacques, 1979)."
- Goertzel, Ted (2010-07-01). "Conspiracy theories in science". EMBO Reports. 11 (7): 493–499. doi:10.1038/embor.2010.84. ISSN 1469-221X. PMC 2897118. PMID 20539311. Retrieved 2019-03-04. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)CS1 maint: PMC format (link): "However, in history and social science, the term ‘conspiracy theory' usually refers to claims that important events were caused by conspiracies that have heretofore remained undiscovered (Coady, 2006)."
- Sunstein, Cass R.; Vermeule, Adrian (2009). "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures*" (PDF). Journal of Political Philosophy. 17 (2): 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x. ISSN 1467-9760. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "... a conspiracy theory can generally be counted as such if it is an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished). " Sunstein Vermule 2000 Conspiracy Theories http://www.ask-force.org/web/Discourse/Sunstein-Conspiracy-Theories-2009.pdf
- Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M. (2008-04-01). "The Hidden Impact of Conspiracy Theories: Perceived and Actual Influence of Theories Surrounding the Death of Princess Diana". The Journal of Social Psychology. 148 (2): 210–222. doi:10.3200/SOCP.148.2.210-222. ISSN 0022-4545. PMID 18512419. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "Scholars characterize conspiracy theories as attempts to explain the ultimate cause of an event (usually a political or social event) as a secret plot by a covert alliance of powerful individuals or organizations, rather than as an overt activity or natural occurrence (e.g., McCauley & Jacques, 1979)."
- Bale, Jeffrey M. (2007-02-01). "Political paranoia v. political realism: on distinguishing between bogus conspiracy theories and genuine conspiratorial politics" (PDF). Patterns of Prejudice. 41 (1): 45–60. doi:10.1080/00313220601118751. ISSN 0031-322X. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "'Conspiracy theories' share a number of distinguishing characteristics, but in all of them the essential element is a belief in the existence of a 'vast, insidious, preternaturally effective international conspiratorial network designed to perpetrate acts of the most fiendish character', acts that aim to 'undermine and destroy a way of life'."
- Coady, David (2006). Conspiracy Theories: The Philosophical Debate. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-7546-5250-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons–the conspirators–acting in secret."
- Basham, Lee (2003). "Malevolent Global Conspiracy". Journal of Social Philosophy. 34 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1111/1467-9833.00167. ISSN 1467-9833. Retrieved 2019-03-04. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), "A 'conspiracy theory' is an explanation of important events that appeals to the intentional deception and manipulation of those involved in, affected by, or witnessing these events. These deceptions/manipulations involve multiple, cooperating players. While there is no contradiction in the phrase 'conspiracies of goodness,' the deceptions and manipulations implied by the term 'conspiracy theory' are usually thought to express nefarious, even insanely evil, purposes."
- Keeley, Brian L. (1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories" (PDF). The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109–126. doi:10.2307/2564659. ISSN 0022-362X. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p. 116: "A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons–the conspirators–acting in secret ... this then might be considered a bare-bones definition of conspiracy theory, be it warranted or otherwise."
^
For conspiracy v. conspiracy theory, see:
- Edelson, et al. 2017: "A conspiracy is 'a secret arrangement between two or more actors to usurp political or economic power, violate established rights, hoard vital secrets, or unlawfully alter government institutions' and a conspiracy theory is a proposed 'explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good' (Uscinski and Parent 2014, 31- 32). A conspiracy theory is one possible explanation for events which may or may not be accurate, whereas a conspiracy is an agreed-upon authoritative account."
- Uscinski, Klofstad & Atkinson 2016: "While conspiracy refers to an act, conspiracy theory refers to an accusatory perception (Uscinski and Parent 2014, 33)."
- Uscinski & Parent 2014, p. 33: "While 'conspiracy' refers to events that have occurred or are occurring, 'conspiracy theory' refers to accusatory perceptions that may or may not be true. Telling the difference between the two turns on the evidentiary threshold ..."
- Pipes, Daniel (1999-05-01). Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-2404-8. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "Conspiracy refers to an act, conspiracy theory to a perception."
^
For lack of evidence, see:
- Edelson, et al. 2017: "Conspiracy theories are particularly thorny in that they often incorporate disconfirming evidence or the lack of confirming evidence as support. If one postulates that a powerful group is undertaking malicious activities in secret, then one would reasonably expect that evidence would be hidden and red herrings would be abundant (Keeley 1999). This epistemological trait allows theories of election fraud to escape easy refutation because the lack of evidence demonstrating fraud shows just how widespread and concealed the fraud is."
- Douglas & Sutton 2011 harvnb error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFDouglasSutton2011 (help): "However, in the main conspiracy theories are unproven, often rather fanciful alternatives to mainstream accounts (Allison & Zelikow, 1999)."
^
For lack of consensus, see:
- Uscinski & Parent 2014, p. 31: "It is impossible not to step on toes when studying conspiracy theories. Some approach conspiratorial beliefs as 'mistruths,' 'misinformation,' 'misperceptions,' 'myths,' and 'false beliefs' and wish to study them as a species of informational or mental error. Others make little distinction between conspiracy theories and conspiracies and so do not wish to study conspiracy theories at all. We steer a middle course."
- Swami, Viren; Furnham, Adrian (2013). "Political paranoia and conspiracy theories". In van Prooijen, Jan-Willem; van Lange, Paul A. M. (eds.). Power, Politics, and Paranoia: Why People are Suspicious of their Leaders. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (published 2014). ISBN 978-1-139-56541-7. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help), p. 219: "One reason why conspiracy theories may not have attracted much scholarly attention is the lack of consensus as to what is, and is not, a conspiracy theory. "
- Knight, Peter (2013-04-15). Conspiracy Culture: From Kennedy to The X Files. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-11723-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "There is no fixed set of inherent qualities that makes something a conspiracy theory, since in many cases a view becomes a conspiracy theory only because it has been dismissed as such."
- Keeley 1999 harvnb error: multiple targets (7×): CITEREFKeeley1999 (help), p. 111: "The definition of conspiracy theory poses unexpected difficulties."
^
For definitions requiring falsity, see:
- van Prooijen & van Vugt 2018, p. 771: "Conspiracy theories that turn out true–such as Watergate or the Iran-Contra scandal–are no longer conspiracy 'theories.' Hence, in judging the validity of conspiracy theories, there is always room for error."
- Freeman, Daniel; Bentall, Richard P. (2017-05-01). "The concomitants of conspiracy concerns". Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 52 (5): 595–604. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1354-4. ISSN 1433-9285. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help): "Our interest is in 'false conspiracy theories' [3], of which there are many ... We consider these theories to have four common characteristics: the world or an event is held to be not as it seems; there is believed to be a cover-up by powerful others; the believer's explanation of events is accepted only by a minority; and the explanation is unsupported when the evidence is weighed up. Our interest is in clearly unfounded ideas."
- Knight 2013, pp. 10–11: "Those intent on condemning the paranoid style are, however, seldom swayed by the argument that, since some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true, then conspiracy thinking is no longer necessarily delusional. They insist that the revelations about, say, Watergate or the Iran–Contra dealings are not the vindication of a crackpot conspiracy theory, but the product of proper investigative journalism. If a conspiracy theory turns out to be true, it is redescribed as astute historical analysis (and, conversely, if a historical speculation turns out to be unfounded, then it is often dismissed as a conspiracy theory) ... For many commentators, conspiracy theories are by definition deluded, simplistic and harmful, and anything that doesn't fit that rubric is not a conspiracy theory. It comes as no surprise, then, that on this view conspiracy theories are to be condemend, almost by definition."
- Swami & Furnham 2013, p. 220–221: "In very general terms, then, conspiracy theories are a subset of false beliefs in which the ultimate cause of an event is believed to be due to a plot by multiple actors working together with a clear goal in mind, often unlawfully and in secret (Barkun, 2003; Basham, 2001; Davis, 1971; Goldberg, 2001; Zonis and Joseph, 1994) ... In short, then, a conspiracy theory can be defined operationally as a set of false beliefs in which an omnipresent and omnipotent group of actors are believed to work together in pursuit of malevolent goals (Barkun, 2003; Basham, 2001; Davis, 1971; Goldberg, 2001; Zonis and Joseph, 1994)."
- Swami, Viren (2012). "Social Psychological Origins of Conspiracy Theories: The Case of the Jewish Conspiracy Theory in Malaysia". Frontiers in Psychology. 3. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00280. ISSN 1664-1078. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link), : "A related aspect of this literature concerns belief in conspiracy theories, defined as a subset of false narratives in which the ultimate cause of an event is believed to be due to a malevolent plot by multiple actors working together (Goldberg, 2001; Barkun, 2003; Bale, 2007; Swami and Furnham, 2012a). Although this definition of a conspiracy theory is not exhaustive, it does capture the crux of most such beliefs ..."
^
For definitions not requiring falsity, see:
- Edelson, et al. 2017: "A conspiracy theory is not necessarily 'wrong.' It is a theory, and, as such, requires evidence to support or oppose it. The evidentiary threshold, however, is a subject of much debate (Coady 2006)."
- Douglas & Sutton 2011 harvnb error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFDouglasSutton2011 (help): "It is important to stress that not all conspiracies are crackpot theories: some have ultimately been verified, such as the Watergate conspiracy of the 1970s."
- Wood, Douglas & Sutton 2012: "Conspiracy theories are not by definition false; indeed, many real conspiracies have come to light over the years."
- Keeley 1999 harvnb error: multiple targets (7×): CITEREFKeeley1999 (help), pp. 110–111: "Conspiracy theories, as a general category, are not necessarily wrong."
^
For Richard Hofstadter's 1966 definition in The Paranoid Style in American Politics, see:
- Swami & Furnham 2013, pp. 219–220: "Traditionally, many scholars have relied on Hofstadter's (1966, pp. 14, 29) definition, first provided in his seminal work The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays, of a conspiracy theory as any belief in the existence of a 'vast, insidious, preternaturally effective international conspiratorial network designed to perpetrate acts of the most fiendish character' and that aims to 'undermine and destroy a way of life.' Implicit in this definition of a conspiracy theory is the notion that some event or practice can be explained with 'reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished' (Sunstein and Vermeule, 2009, p. 205)."
- Aaronovitch, David (2010-02-04). Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-18521-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p. 11: "For the U.S. historian Richard Hofstadter, on the other hand, writing in the early 1960s, what distinguished the true 'paranoid' conspiracy theory was its scale, not that 'its exponents see conspiracies or plots here and there in history, but that they regard a 'vast' or 'gigantic' conspiracy as the motive force in historical events."
^
For recent definitions, see:
- van Prooijen & van Vugt 2018, p. 771: "We argue that a conspiracy theory contains at least five critical ingredients ..."
- Aaronovitch 2010, p. 11: "I think a better definition of a conspiracy theory might be 'the attribution of deliberate agency to something that is more likely to be accidental or unintended.' And, as a sophistication of this definition, one might add 'the attribution of secret action to one party that might far more reasonably be explained as the less covert and less complicated action of another.' So, a conspiracy theory is the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy where other explanations are more probable."
- Bale 2007, pp. 51–53
- Keeley 1999 harvnb error: multiple targets (7×): CITEREFKeeley1999 (help), p. 111: "There seems to exist a strong, common intuition that it is possible to delineate a set of explanations–let us call them unwarranted conspiracy theories (UCTs). It is thought that this class of explanation can be distinguished analytically from those theories which deserve our assent."
- Pipes 1999: "A conspiracy theory is the fear of a nonexistent conspiracy."
^
For analysis of definitions, see:
- van Prooijen & van Vugt 2018, p. 770: "Contrary to the view that belief in such theories is pathological (Hofstadter, 1966), large portions of the human population believe conspiracy theories."
- Knight 2013, p. 7: "By invoking the term 'conspiracism,' Pipes presents a picture of conspiracy theory as an ominous sounding ideology, something akin to Communism, and which likewise demands an ever-vigilant crusade against its creeping threat."
- Swami & Furnham 2013, p. 219: "Unfortunately, there was – and there still is – a good deal of conceptual confusion as to what makes a belief conspiracist in nature, with scholars often relying on informal or imprecise working definitions..."
- Aaronovitch 2010, pp. 11–12: "These two definitions don’t quite work for me. How, for example, can Pipes prove categorically that a conspiracy is 'nonexistent'? Obviously, any conspiracy is a theory until it is substantiated; therefore, those supporting a conspiracy theory might be entitled to observe either that their own particular notion was simply awaiting definitive proof or, just as likely, that in their judgment such proof was already available. And I find it hard to accept Hofstadter’s definition of conspiracy, which would, for example, include the idea–given play in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code–that the Church has for two millennia systematically suppressed the truth about the bloodline of Jesus (a truly vast deception), but not the smaller-scale accusation that British (or French) intelligence agencies had Diana, Princess of Wales, brutally done away with in Paris in 1997."
- Clarke, Steve (2002-06-01). "Conspiracy Theories and Conspiracy Theorizing". Philosophy of the Social Sciences. 32 (2): 131–150. doi:10.1177/004931032002001. ISSN 0048-3931. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), 133: "Keeley has undertaken an important project but has gone about completing it in the wrong way. Keeley attempts to identify a subclass of conspiracy theories that he describes as 'Unwarranted Conspiracy Theories' (UCTs). These have crucial epistemic deficiencies that go unrecognized by conspiracy theorists according to Keeley. It will be shown that Keeley’s case against UCTs is exaggerated and confused."

Discussion

Does anyone have anything to add/remove/change? Thanks. Leviv ich 06:27, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The current lede is replaced by my proposal which is a minor edit of that but encompasses the rest of the lede. Most of your proposals do not include anything other than the opening para. Slatersteven's proposal is redundant as he has pronounced himself satisfied with the existing and by extension my proposal. The prior lede can be removed as everyone seems to agree that the current one is better. Autonova's has already been rejected so can be removed. And I will vote against yours as it gives undue weight to the conspiracists' pretence that conspiracy theories may be real. Guy (Help!) 08:10, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

My proposal hasn’t been rejected. It’s backed up by sources and deserves to be included, just as much as any of the other proposals. Autonova (talk) 09:11, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The prior lede can be removed as everyone seems to agree that the current one is better. This is patently untrue. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:21, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Autonova's proposal is accurate according to the literal definition of of the word and according to how all the major dictionaries define it. My problem with it, is that I think the "without credible evidence" is actually necessary given the common use of the word. but defining it as false goes way too far and the idea has already been debunked with counter examples. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:26, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I do agree that Guy's latest proposal can replace the current lede. He's the author of both, so I don't think anyone would object to that. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:28, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Guy's criticism of Levivich's version being due weight is a bit ironic given the due weight problems of his proposals. He has a single source that defines CT as a "fear" and 0 sources that define it as an assumption and hasn't even denied this fact. The problem with Levivich's version is that it seems to contradict itself. It claims that CTs are perceptions, not realities and then later says it's up for debate. As noted above, the former sentiment has already been debunked. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 14:38, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the feedback.

I struck Option B (current lead) and will not include it unless someone objects.
Courtesy ping to Slatersteven since he's been mentioned above.
I think it's awkward to RfC a whole 3-paragraph lead and would rather just include the first paragraph of Option E, but that's up to the proposer of Option E.
I'm very open to suggestions on my proposal, especially since this is the first anyone's seeing of it. To help with the internal contradiction, I'm thinking of changing the second sentence to: Unlike actual conspiracies, conspiracy theories are generally characterized as perceptions, not realities,^[2] lacking in credible supporting evidence.^[3] Leviv ich 15:04, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That would be an acceptable adjustment to your proposal imo. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 15:36, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Done I updated Option F. Thanks again. Leviv ich 16:20, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Given how many editors use and link CT, perhaps we should add an option G: "Asking questions" ...okay I kid. Strike that from the record. --74.195.159.155 (talk) 16:47, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yes I would change most if it, it reads terribly. Sorry this is worse then we have at the current time. Too much dancing around to try and appease people.Slatersteven (talk) 17:23, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Option D is all yours. Autonova (talk) 17:31, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I thought this was all about option F.Slatersteven (talk) 17:33, 4 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

[1] 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[2] David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[3] Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[4] Keeley, Brian L. (1999-3). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[5] 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[6] David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[7] Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[8] Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

[9] "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[10] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[11] "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[12] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[13] 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[14] David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[15] Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[16] Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

[17] Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[18] Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

[19] "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[20] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[21] "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[22] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[23] 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[24] David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[25] Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[26] Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

[27] Dictionary definitions:
Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, s.v. 4

"Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Retrieved 24 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Longman Dictionary. LDOCE Online. Retrieved 24 February 2019."a belief by a number of people that something is the result of a conspiracy"

[28] Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, s.v. 4

[29] "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[30] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[31] "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[32] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[33] "Conspiracy theory definition". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Retrieved 24 February 2019.

[34] "Conspiracy theory definition". Longman Dictionary. LDOCE Online. Retrieved 24 February 2019."a belief by a number of people that something is the result of a conspiracy"

[28] Definitions in academic journals:
Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

Sunstein; Vermule (2009). "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures". The Journal of Political Philosophy. 17 (2): 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x. "an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished)"

Dentith, Matthew, X. (2012). In defence of conspiracy theories (PDF) (Thesis). University of Auckland. Retrieved 24 February 2019.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)"an explanation of an event that cites the existence of a conspiracy as a salient cause"

van Prooijen, Jan Willem; Douglas (2017). "Conspiracy theories as part of history: The role of societal crisis situations". Memory Studies. 10 (3): 323–333. doi:10.1177/1750698017701615. "commonly defined as explanatory beliefs of how multiple actors meet in secret agreement in order to achieve a hidden goal that is widely considered to be unlawful or malevolent"

Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Memory Studies. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. "[explanations] of important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

Oliver, Eric; Wood, Thomas (2014). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion". American Journal of Political Science. 58 (4): 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps12084. "narratives about hidden, malevolent groups secretly perpetuating political plots and social calamities to further their own nefarious goals"

Basham, Lee (2013). "Malevolent Global Conspiracy". Journal of Social Philosophy. 34 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1111/1467-9833.00167. "an explanation of important events that appeals to the intentional deception and manipulation of those involved in, affected by, or witnessing these events. These deceptions/manipulations involve multiple, cooperating players."

Keeley, Brian (2013). "Of conspiracy theories". Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109–126. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1084585. "Many millions of people hold conspiracy theories; they believe that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event"

Wood, Michael J. (2014). "Dead and alive: beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories". Social Psychology and Personality Science. 3: 767–773. "A conspiracy theory is defined as a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal"

[36] Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[37] Sunstein; Vermule (2009). "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures". The Journal of Political Philosophy. 17 (2): 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x. "an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished)"

[38] Dentith, Matthew, X. (2012). In defence of conspiracy theories (PDF) (Thesis). University of Auckland. Retrieved 24 February 2019.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)"an explanation of an event that cites the existence of a conspiracy as a salient cause"

[39] van Prooijen, Jan Willem; Douglas (2017). "Conspiracy theories as part of history: The role of societal crisis situations". Memory Studies. 10 (3): 323–333. doi:10.1177/1750698017701615. "commonly defined as explanatory beliefs of how multiple actors meet in secret agreement in order to achieve a hidden goal that is widely considered to be unlawful or malevolent"

[40] Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Memory Studies. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. "[explanations] of important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[41] Oliver, Eric; Wood, Thomas (2014). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion". American Journal of Political Science. 58 (4): 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps12084. "narratives about hidden, malevolent groups secretly perpetuating political plots and social calamities to further their own nefarious goals"

[42] Basham, Lee (2013). "Malevolent Global Conspiracy". Journal of Social Philosophy. 34 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1111/1467-9833.00167. "an explanation of important events that appeals to the intentional deception and manipulation of those involved in, affected by, or witnessing these events. These deceptions/manipulations involve multiple, cooperating players."

[43] Keeley, Brian (2013). "Of conspiracy theories". Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109–126. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1084585. "Many millions of people hold conspiracy theories; they believe that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event"

[44] Wood, Michael J. (2014). "Dead and alive: beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories". Social Psychology and Personality Science. 3: 767–773. "A conspiracy theory is defined as a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal"

[29] Definitions in books:
Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

Sunstein, Cass (2014). Conspiracy theories & other dangerous ideas. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2662-5. "an effort to explain some event or practice by referring to the secret machinations of powerful people who have also managed to conceal their role"

[46] Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

[47] Sunstein, Cass (2014). Conspiracy theories & other dangerous ideas. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2662-5. "an effort to explain some event or practice by referring to the secret machinations of powerful people who have also managed to conceal their role"

[30] 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[31] Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[32] Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

[33] Aaronovitch,, David (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)

[Byford-34] Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[35] Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

[FOOTNOTEBarkun20037-36] Barkun 2003, p. 7. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBarkun2003 (help)

[37] Barkun, Michael (2011). Chasing Phantoms: Reality, Imagination, and Homeland Security Since 9/11. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 10. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[38] Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 3–4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[39] "Crazy Beliefs, Sane Believers: Toward a Cognitive Psychology of Conspiracy Ideation - CSI". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[40] Swami, Viren; Voracek, Martin; Stieger, Stefan; Tran, Ulrich S.; Furnham, Adrian (December 2014). "Analytic thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories". Cognition. 133 (3): 572–585. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2014.08.006.

[41] Freeman, Daniel; Bentall, Richard P. (2017-03-29). "The concomitants of conspiracy concerns". Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 52 (5): 595–604. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1354-4. ISSN 0933-7954. PMC 5423964. PMID 28352955.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)

[42] Barron, David; Morgan, Kevin; Towell, Tony; Altemeyer, Boris; Swami, Viren (November 2014). "Associations between schizotypy and belief in conspiracist ideation". Personality and Individual Differences. 70: 156–159. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.040.

[43] 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[44] David., Aaronovitch, (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[45] Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[46] Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

[47] Dictionary definitions:
Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, s.v. 4

"Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Retrieved 24 February 2019.

"Conspiracy theory definition". Longman Dictionary. LDOCE Online. Retrieved 24 February 2019."a belief by a number of people that something is the result of a conspiracy"

[66] Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, s.v. 4

[67] "Conspiracy theory definition". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[68] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[69] "Conspiracy theory definition". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[70] "Conspiracy theory definition". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[71] "Conspiracy theory definition". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Retrieved 24 February 2019.

[72] "Conspiracy theory definition". Longman Dictionary. LDOCE Online. Retrieved 24 February 2019."a belief by a number of people that something is the result of a conspiracy"

[48] Definitions in academic journals:
Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

Sunstein; Vermule (2009). "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures". The Journal of Political Philosophy. 17 (2): 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x. "an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished)"

Dentith, Matthew, X. (2012). In defence of conspiracy theories (PDF) (Thesis). University of Auckland. Retrieved 24 February 2019.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)"an explanation of an event that cites the existence of a conspiracy as a salient cause"

van Prooijen, Jan Willem; Douglas (2017). "Conspiracy theories as part of history: The role of societal crisis situations". Memory Studies. 10 (3): 323–333. doi:10.1177/1750698017701615. "commonly defined as explanatory beliefs of how multiple actors meet in secret agreement in order to achieve a hidden goal that is widely considered to be unlawful or malevolent"

Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Memory Studies. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. "[explanations] of important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

Oliver, Eric; Wood, Thomas (2014). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion". American Journal of Political Science. 58 (4): 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps12084. "narratives about hidden, malevolent groups secretly perpetuating political plots and social calamities to further their own nefarious goals"

Basham, Lee (2013). "Malevolent Global Conspiracy". Journal of Social Philosophy. 34 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1111/1467-9833.00167. "an explanation of important events that appeals to the intentional deception and manipulation of those involved in, affected by, or witnessing these events. These deceptions/manipulations involve multiple, cooperating players."

Keeley, Brian (2013). "Of conspiracy theories". Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109–126. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1084585. "Many millions of people hold conspiracy theories; they believe that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event"

Wood, Michael J. (2014). "Dead and alive: beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories". Social Psychology and Personality Science. 3: 767–773. "A conspiracy theory is defined as a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal"

[74] Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[75] Sunstein; Vermule (2009). "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures". The Journal of Political Philosophy. 17 (2): 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x. "an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who attempt to conceal their role (at least until their aims are accomplished)"

[76] Dentith, Matthew, X. (2012). In defence of conspiracy theories (PDF) (Thesis). University of Auckland. Retrieved 24 February 2019.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)"an explanation of an event that cites the existence of a conspiracy as a salient cause"

[77] van Prooijen, Jan Willem; Douglas (2017). "Conspiracy theories as part of history: The role of societal crisis situations". Memory Studies. 10 (3): 323–333. doi:10.1177/1750698017701615. "commonly defined as explanatory beliefs of how multiple actors meet in secret agreement in order to achieve a hidden goal that is widely considered to be unlawful or malevolent"

[78] Douglas, Karen M.; Sutton, Robbie M.; Cichocka, Aleksandra (2017). "The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories". Memory Studies. 26 (6): 538–542. doi:10.1177/0963721417718261. "[explanations] of important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[79] Oliver, Eric; Wood, Thomas (2014). "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion". American Journal of Political Science. 58 (4): 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps12084. "narratives about hidden, malevolent groups secretly perpetuating political plots and social calamities to further their own nefarious goals"

[80] Basham, Lee (2013). "Malevolent Global Conspiracy". Journal of Social Philosophy. 34 (1): 91–103. doi:10.1111/1467-9833.00167. "an explanation of important events that appeals to the intentional deception and manipulation of those involved in, affected by, or witnessing these events. These deceptions/manipulations involve multiple, cooperating players."

[81] Keeley, Brian (2013). "Of conspiracy theories". Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109–126. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1084585. "Many millions of people hold conspiracy theories; they believe that powerful people have worked together in order to withhold the truth about some important practice or some terrible event"

[82] Wood, Michael J. (2014). "Dead and alive: beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories". Social Psychology and Personality Science. 3: 767–773. "A conspiracy theory is defined as a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal"

[49] Definitions in books:
Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

Sunstein, Cass (2014). Conspiracy theories & other dangerous ideas. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2662-5. "an effort to explain some event or practice by referring to the secret machinations of powerful people who have also managed to conceal their role"

[84] Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

[85] Sunstein, Cass (2014). Conspiracy theories & other dangerous ideas. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-2662-5. "an effort to explain some event or practice by referring to the secret machinations of powerful people who have also managed to conceal their role"

[50] 1949-, Pipes, Daniel, (1997). Conspiracy : how the paranoid style flourishes and where it comes from. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0684831317. OCLC 36900981. {{cite book}}: |last= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[51] Goertzel, T (December 1994). "Belief in conspiracy theories". Political Psychology. 15 (4): 731–742. doi:10.2307/3791630. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) "explanations for important events that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups"

[52] Ucsinki, Parent (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190203955. OCLC 888964309."an explanation of historical, ongoing, or future events that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons, the conspirators, acting in secret for their own benefit against the common good"

[53] Aaronovitch,, David (2009). Voodoo histories : the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history. London, England: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 9780224074704. OCLC 310154675.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)

[Byford-54] Jovan., Byford, (2011). Conspiracy theories : a critical introduction. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230349216. OCLC 802867724.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[55] Keeley, Brian L. (March 1999). "Of Conspiracy Theories". The Journal of Philosophy. 96 (3): 109. doi:10.2307/2564659.

[FOOTNOTEBarkun20037-56] Barkun 2003, p. 7. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBarkun2003 (help)

[57] Barkun, Michael (2011). Chasing Phantoms: Reality, Imagination, and Homeland Security Since 9/11. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 10. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[58] Barkun, Michael (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 3–4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[59] "Crazy Beliefs, Sane Believers: Toward a Cognitive Psychology of Conspiracy Ideation - CSI". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[60] Swami, Viren; Voracek, Martin; Stieger, Stefan; Tran, Ulrich S.; Furnham, Adrian (December 2014). "Analytic thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories". Cognition. 133 (3): 572–585. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2014.08.006.

[61] Freeman, Daniel; Bentall, Richard P. (2017-03-29). "The concomitants of conspiracy concerns". Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 52 (5): 595–604. doi:10.1007/s00127-017-1354-4. ISSN 0933-7954. PMC 5423964. PMID 28352955.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)

[62] Barron, David; Morgan, Kevin; Towell, Tony; Altemeyer, Boris; Swami, Viren (November 2014). "Associations between schizotypy and belief in conspiracist ideation". Personality and Individual Differences. 70: 156–159. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.040.

[63] 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): 544–552. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8309.2010.02018.x. PMID 21486312.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]