From this ...
To this ...
February 14, 2014
July 13, 2013
June 12, 2012
What is "conspiracy theory"?
The term "conspiracy theory" is part of the lexical armoury deployed against legitimate enquiry and reasoned discourse. It is an epithet, a dysphemism, an obloquy hurled at any who dare challenge the official narrative.
What does the term "conspiracy theory" really mean? Here is the crux of the problem. The term is enigmatic, its meaning depends on the context in which it is used. It could mean "a theory about a conspiracy", but it rarely does. More often it means "questioning the official account", or simply "ridiculous nonsense".
The term "conspiracy theory" is commonly employed as an insult, a contemptuous rebuff, a conversation killer. Its use is an effective barrier to informed debate, denoting a reluctance to engage a subject with intellectual honesty and common sense.
What does the term "conspiracy theory" really mean? Here is the crux of the problem. The term is enigmatic, its meaning depends on the context in which it is used. It could mean "a theory about a conspiracy", but it rarely does. More often it means "questioning the official account", or simply "ridiculous nonsense".
The term "conspiracy theory" is commonly employed as an insult, a contemptuous rebuff, a conversation killer. Its use is an effective barrier to informed debate, denoting a reluctance to engage a subject with intellectual honesty and common sense.
January 11, 2011
The 9/11 Litmus Test
The issue of 9/11 is an excellent instrument for gauging an individuals grasp on reality ... it is a litmus test for ones knowledge of world affairs and the hidden forces that influence them.
Raise the issue of 9/11 to sort the wheat from the chaffe, to differentiate the informed from the clueless, to distinguish open minds capable of impartial reasoning from rigid minds that can't think clearly.
Enquire about 9/11 and the response will immediately illuminate the respondent's understanding of the way the world works ... if they are not interested in the subject, they know very little about the way the world works.
If they believe the official 9/11 conspiracy theory, they know very little about world affairs ... if they doubt the official story and are interested in the subject, they're probably well informed and know a bit about the way the world works.
If they attack you for raising the issue and accuse you of being a conspiracy theorist or a kook or a nutter, they are either brainwashed dupes or in cahoots with the criminal cabal that sponsored the events of 9/11.
Raise the issue of 9/11 to sort the wheat from the chaffe, to differentiate the informed from the clueless, to distinguish open minds capable of impartial reasoning from rigid minds that can't think clearly.
Enquire about 9/11 and the response will immediately illuminate the respondent's understanding of the way the world works ... if they are not interested in the subject, they know very little about the way the world works.
If they believe the official 9/11 conspiracy theory, they know very little about world affairs ... if they doubt the official story and are interested in the subject, they're probably well informed and know a bit about the way the world works.
If they attack you for raising the issue and accuse you of being a conspiracy theorist or a kook or a nutter, they are either brainwashed dupes or in cahoots with the criminal cabal that sponsored the events of 9/11.
The official 9/11 conspiracy theory
Jeffrey M. Bale, of Lobster fame, provides an illuminating analysis of conspiracy thinking in his article 'Conspiracy Theories' and Clandestine Politics.
To further elucidate the phenomenon Bale describes, I have taken the liberty of including a specific, well known example in the following quote:
In the first place, conspiracy theorists consider the alleged conspirators [of al Qa'ida] to be Evil incarnate. They are not simply people with differing values or run-of-the-mill political opponents, but inhuman, superhuman, and/or anti-human beings who regularly commit abominable acts and are implacably attempting to subvert and destroy everything that is decent and worth preserving in the existing world.
Secondly, conspiracy theorists perceive the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] as both monolithic and unerring in the pursuit of its goals. This group [al Qa'ida] is directed from a single conspiratorial centre [around bin Laden], acting as a sort of general staff, which plans and coordinates all of [al Qa'ida]'s activities down to the last detail.
Thirdly, conspiracy theorists believe that the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] is omnipresent, at least within its own sphere of operations. While some conspiracy theories postulate a relatively localized group of conspirators [eg. al Qa'ida in Iraq], most depict this group [al Qa'ida] as both international in its spatial dimensions and continuous in its temporal dimensions. 'The [al Qa'ida] conspirators planned and carried out evil in the past, they are successfully active in the present, and they will triumph in the future if they are not disturbed in their plans by those with information about their sinister designs.'
The conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] is therefore capable of operating virtually everywhere. As a consequence of this ubiquitousness, anything that occurs which has a broadly negative impact or seems in anyway related to the purported aims of the [al Qa'ida] conspirators can thus be plausibly attributed to them.
Fourthly, the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] is viewed by conspiracy theorists as virtually omnipotent. In the past this group has successfully overthrown empires and nations, corrupted whole societies, and destroyed entire civilizations and cultures, and it is said to be in the process of accomplishing the same thing at this very moment. Its members are secretly working in every nook and cranny of society, and are making use of every subversive technique known to mankind to achieve their nefarious purposes. Nothing appears to be able to stand in their way--unless the warnings of the conspiracy theorists are heeded and acted upon at once. Even then there is no guarantee of ultimate victory against such powerful forces, but a failure to recognize the danger and take immediate countervailing action assures the success of those forces in the near future.
Finally, for conspiracy theorists, conspiracies [attributed to al Qa'ida] are not simply a regular feature of politics whose importance varies in different historical contexts, but rather the motive force of all historical change and development. The conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] can and does continually alter the course of history, invariably in negative and destructive ways, through conscious planning and direct intervention. Its members are not buffeted about by structural forces beyond their control and understanding, like everyone else, but are themselves capable of controlling events more or less at will.
This supposed ability is usually attributed to some combination of demonic influence or sponsorship, the possession of arcane knowledge, the mastery of devilish techniques, and/or the creation of a preternaturally effective clandestine organization. As a result, unpleasant occurrences which are perceived by others to be the products of coincidence or chance are viewed by conspiracy theorists as further evidence of the secret workings of the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida]. For them, nothing that happens occurs by accident. Everything is the result of secret plotting in accordance with some sinister design.
To further elucidate the phenomenon Bale describes, I have taken the liberty of including a specific, well known example in the following quote:
In the first place, conspiracy theorists consider the alleged conspirators [of al Qa'ida] to be Evil incarnate. They are not simply people with differing values or run-of-the-mill political opponents, but inhuman, superhuman, and/or anti-human beings who regularly commit abominable acts and are implacably attempting to subvert and destroy everything that is decent and worth preserving in the existing world.
Secondly, conspiracy theorists perceive the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] as both monolithic and unerring in the pursuit of its goals. This group [al Qa'ida] is directed from a single conspiratorial centre [around bin Laden], acting as a sort of general staff, which plans and coordinates all of [al Qa'ida]'s activities down to the last detail.
Thirdly, conspiracy theorists believe that the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] is omnipresent, at least within its own sphere of operations. While some conspiracy theories postulate a relatively localized group of conspirators [eg. al Qa'ida in Iraq], most depict this group [al Qa'ida] as both international in its spatial dimensions and continuous in its temporal dimensions. 'The [al Qa'ida] conspirators planned and carried out evil in the past, they are successfully active in the present, and they will triumph in the future if they are not disturbed in their plans by those with information about their sinister designs.'
The conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] is therefore capable of operating virtually everywhere. As a consequence of this ubiquitousness, anything that occurs which has a broadly negative impact or seems in anyway related to the purported aims of the [al Qa'ida] conspirators can thus be plausibly attributed to them.
Fourthly, the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] is viewed by conspiracy theorists as virtually omnipotent. In the past this group has successfully overthrown empires and nations, corrupted whole societies, and destroyed entire civilizations and cultures, and it is said to be in the process of accomplishing the same thing at this very moment. Its members are secretly working in every nook and cranny of society, and are making use of every subversive technique known to mankind to achieve their nefarious purposes. Nothing appears to be able to stand in their way--unless the warnings of the conspiracy theorists are heeded and acted upon at once. Even then there is no guarantee of ultimate victory against such powerful forces, but a failure to recognize the danger and take immediate countervailing action assures the success of those forces in the near future.
Finally, for conspiracy theorists, conspiracies [attributed to al Qa'ida] are not simply a regular feature of politics whose importance varies in different historical contexts, but rather the motive force of all historical change and development. The conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida] can and does continually alter the course of history, invariably in negative and destructive ways, through conscious planning and direct intervention. Its members are not buffeted about by structural forces beyond their control and understanding, like everyone else, but are themselves capable of controlling events more or less at will.
This supposed ability is usually attributed to some combination of demonic influence or sponsorship, the possession of arcane knowledge, the mastery of devilish techniques, and/or the creation of a preternaturally effective clandestine organization. As a result, unpleasant occurrences which are perceived by others to be the products of coincidence or chance are viewed by conspiracy theorists as further evidence of the secret workings of the conspiratorial group [al Qa'ida]. For them, nothing that happens occurs by accident. Everything is the result of secret plotting in accordance with some sinister design.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)