The Four Fallacies Surrounding Conspiracies Theories

At the opposite end of the spectrum from the aluminum foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists are those who believe without question everything authority tells them. Neither group is to be swayed by facts, logic or argument. They will be especially impervious to persuasion from anyone outside of the group they identify with.

The one believes because it fits their narrative of the world. The other is fearful of questioning official narratives because it might force them to change their comfortable way of life. 

Between the two extremes is a vast area that allows for questioning of authority while giving respect to those who have spent their lives pursuing their chosen areas of expertise. In the middle can be found the position that sometimes people with a desire for power conspire to advance certain narratives for their own benefit at the expense of society at large. Hardly a radical notion.

There are four different errors that people can make regarding conspiracy theories. The first is that all conspiracy theories are false. The second is, once becoming convinced that one conspiracy does exist, easily believing every conspiracy theory one comes across is true. The third is becoming so lost and confused by the myriad details that one abandons the search for truth altogether. The fourth is mistaking a theory for a conviction rather than a working hypothesis.

The media would have you make the first error: believing that there is no such thing as a conspiracy. If you disbelieve in conspiracy theories, that means everything the media tells you is truth and there is no reason to question anything they tell you. They do their best to smear anyone who says anything contrary to the official narrative as an unhinged nutjob incapable of grasping the obvious truth.

Much of the fringe-right media would have you commit the second error: being convinced that every conspiracy they feed you is gospel truth. Although they act as if they are combating the mainstream media by presenting alternative narratives, they are actually supporting the mainstream media by acting as the bad example. The mainstream media merely has to point to an Alex Jones to show how crazy conspiracists are. Thus Alex Jones is able to speak truth from time to time, because whatever truth he might utter will be dismissed as the rantings of a maniac. Which he more or less is. And of course, they use people like Alex Jones as a poster boy for those who intelligently question official narratives. Those who spread unsourced, easily disproven memes on social media are also doing the work of the mainstream media, though they believe in their hearts that they are doing their best to oppose it. In making themselves out to be brave proponents of the truth, they cast a poor light upon those who’ve invested many hours of their lives critically assembling pertinent facts.

The end goal is to have people fall into the third error: becoming so disheartened by the immense amount of information and disinformation available to you that you give up hope of finding out what is true and what is not. It’s impossible to hide the truth forever, but it is relatively easy to gather so many half-truths about it that you know longer recognize the real truth when you see it.

If I may indulge in a conspiracy theory for a moment, I would say there is a healthy disinformation campaign taking place on social media these days that seeks to muddy the waters behinds certain issues so much that people lose interest in ever finding the truth. There are those who seek to sow discord among conservatives and liberals and I'm not talking about Russia. I cannot provide evidence for all that I suggest, nevertheless I can supply you with enough facts of similar disinformation campaigns to show it is not only logical but likely that much worse than what I can prove is occurring though as yet unproven. A read of Trust Us, We’re Experts by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber will provide you with ample evidence of corporate manipulation of facts and the use of astroturfing (groups that seem to be grassroots but are actually well-funded marketing firms) to sway public opinion. A quick read-up on The Church Committee and Cointelpro will show you how our country’s intelligence agencies are every bit as active as corporations in trying to get you to believe the narratives that suit them best. From there it is not difficult to extrapolate that many of the people you may come across on the internet are not real people with real opinions but narrative control agents.

The fourth error is the one area in which we have the most control. We do not have all the resources, the reach, or the time necessary to take on official narratives pushed by the establishment media. We do not have the time to shoot down every crackpot theory advanced by the loony fringe types who will only answer your cogent arguments with vitriol and an unwillingness to be held to facts. We cannot clear the waters that trolls and astroturfers are intent on roiling. We can only fight the attempts at narrative control by continuing to question official narratives in critical ways. We do not have to accept any given conspiracy theory as either definitely real or definitely not. We merely need to question what is questionable and acknowledge what is undeniable. We don't have to change people's opinions, we just have to remind them how the pursuit of truth is best conducted. In short, we don't have to make anybody believe anything, we simply have to make people realize it is okay to think outside of the parameters set for them.

It’s called tolerance for ambiguity. It's called critical thinking. It’s called being a free thinker. It’s called intellectual humility. It’s being unafraid to say, “I’m not sure.”

Authority is important, but it is precisely because it is so crucial to have respected authorities in society that unscrupulous people will attempt to don the guise of authority. It is why people with power and ambition will forever seek to exert pressure on those with authority to change or soften their message. We must never place authority above question. Indeed, it is the very sign of legitimate authority that it would never ask that us to do so. It is has always been my experience that those with a passion for their field large enough for them to make it their life’s work are more than willing to discuss issues with you and help clarify that which seems unclear.

It is those who insist you accept their authority rather than their explanations who will try to shut down conversation on an issue. They will make the options very simple (though wrong), insisting that there are two extremes to choose from with no room for honest discussion. It’s called shutting down conversation and dissent.

It is quite possible to go through life without definitive positions on any given subject. In fact, I would say it is necessary. You must learn to respond to reality while seeing through more than one perspective, even knowing that if one is true, the other will be false. Because certainty can be dangerous, and it always wise to mitigate risk in a world where things are never very certain.

If you outright dismiss narratives that run contrary to the official version, you are helping foster an atmosphere where drawing outside the lines is frowned upon. If you too readily accept narratives outside the official ones, you are making those who intelligently dissent from official narratives look stupid. In either case, you are hindering society's ability to find its way closer to the truth. Do not choose either extreme, not because they are extreme but because they demand simplistic answers and are incapable of nuanced thinking.