A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy, or secret plot by sinister and powerful actors, often political in motivation.[1][2] The term has a pejorative connotation, implying that the appeal to a conspiracy is based on prejudice or insufficient evidence,[3] when other explanations are more probable.[4] Conspiracy theories resist falsification and are reinforced by circular reasoning: both evidence against the conspiracy and an absence of evidence for it, are re-interpreted as evidence of its truth,[3][5] and the conspiracy becomes a matter of faith rather than proof.[6][7] On a psychological level, conspiracist ideation -- belief in conspiracy theories -- can be harmful or pathological,[8][9] and is highly correlated with paranoia.[10] Conspiracy theories once limited to fringe audiences have become commonplace in mass media, emerging as a cultural phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[11][12][13][14]
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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"
^Barkun 2003, p. 7. sfn error: no target: 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)
