What comes to mind when hearing the term “conspiracy theory?” Are you perhaps reminded of scientific, legal, social, or personal “theories” – all which maintain different meanings? Do you think of sociopolitical matters more so than those relating to ethereal concepts?
Merriam-Webster defines conspiracy theory as a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators. Given this definition, the term could plausibly represent a rational (logical and reasonable) examination of truth and reality.
As an example, if between 1932 and 1972 you were informed of a consolidated effort by the United States (U.S.) government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) involving experimentation on nearly 400 black men with syphilis, you may’ve wondered if the information was true.
Would the U.S. government intentionally lie to its citizens and without informing participants about research in which more than 100 participants died? What I’ve described herein actually occurred and is known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.
From a rational perspective, the logic of the Tuskegee experiment is represented by the following conjunction syllogism:
Form –
Both p and q are true; therefore, p; therefore q.
Example –
Conspiracy theories can be true and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study is an example of a conspiracy theory.
Conspiracy theories can be true.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study is an example of a conspiracy theory.
The compound premises creating the conjunction of two truthful statements is valid if – and only if – each component statement is true. Therefore, it’s both logical and reasonable (rational) to conclude that some – though not all – conspiracy theories are true. Regarding conspiracy theory, one source states:
The term generally has a negative connotation, implying that the appeal of a conspiracy theory is based in prejudice, emotional conviction, or insufficient evidence. A conspiracy theory is distinct from a conspiracy; it refers to a hypothesized conspiracy with specific characteristics, including but not limited to opposition to the mainstream consensus among those who are qualified to evaluate its accuracy, such as scientists or historians.
This description is worth critical analysis. While I agree that the term generally infers a negative connotation – and herein I’ll propose why that may be – I disagree with the appeal to authority fallacy contained within the explanation.
Regarding my disagreement, it was the U.S. government and CDC personnel – the so-called experts “who are qualified to evaluate” accuracy of conspiracy theories – who perpetrated the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Thus, I argue that sole reliance on expertise when examining conspiracy theories is foolish.
Concerning negative connotation related to conspiracy theories, in 1996 the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) drafted a memo to address John F. Kennedy (JFK) assassination conspiracy theories in which the Agency stated:
To employ propaganda assets to answer and refute the attacks of the critics. Book reviews and feature articles are particularly appropriate for this purpose. The unclassified attachments to this guidance should provide useful background material for passage to assets. Our play should point out, as applicable, that the critics are (i) wedded to theories adopted before the evidence was in, (ii) politically interested, (iii) financially interested , (iv) hasty and inaccurate in their research, or (v) infatuated with their own theories […] The aim of this dispatch is to provide material for countering and discrediting the claims of the conspiracy theorists, so as to inhibit the circulation of such claims in other countries.
Although it seems reasonable that the CIA would want to describe factual information regarding JFK’s death – as the Agency accurately detailed how irrational beliefs and perverse incentives may impair rationality – the CIA erred in prescribing what should, must, or ought to be done regarding such conspiracy theories.
When rational examination of a matter uses prescription rather than description, bias automatically renders the assessment questionable. Of course, this is how the CIA functions and I know this from personal experience. In a blogpost entitled Information Overload, I stated:
I’m unmoved by those who may offhandedly label me a “conspiracy theorist” for questioning information presented to me. I know how that term has been used by the very PsyOps [psychological operations] personnel with whom I worked when serving overseas diplomatic missions.
The PsyOps personnel to whom I was referring were members of the CIA. Unlike many individuals who use an ad hominem attack by calling people “conspiracy theorists” for speaking about matters which so-called experts haven’t validated, I have firsthand knowledge of how the Agency deliberately deceives nation states.
Herein, I won’t specifically detail what I learned about the CIA when serving diplomatic missions in South America. Without explicit evidence of propagandistic action on the part of the Agency, one may simply refer to me as a “conspiracy theorist” and dismiss this post altogether.
In any case, I don’t value offhandedly referring to relevant questions concerning official narratives as that which relates to conspiracy theory. This is partially because I’ve observed such so-called “theories” ostensibly serve as predictions rather than wacky beliefs.
For instance, one 2015 source stated:
The political debate in France has seen increasing references to the “great replacement” theory by the controversial writer, Renaud Camus, who has argued that local French populations will be replaced by newcomers who reproduce faster. He was convicted of incitement to racial hatred last year.
People who dared to examine the great replacement proposal are often labeled as rightwing conspiracy theorists. However, regarding Camus’s concern, Statista reports:
Studies have shown that there were 215,000 immigrant arrivals in France in 2020, a number which is rising overall since 2014. The migrant crisis, which began in 2015 in Europe, had an impact on the migration entry flows not only in France but in all European countries. The number of illegal border-crossings to the EU over the Eastern Mediterranean route reached a record number of 885,386 crossings in 2015, compared to 24,799 two years before.
Call it what you will, there appears to have been an upward trend in migration for France since around 2015. Because the people of France have experienced a significant uptick in immigration, some French citizens are beginning to challenge the unexpected growth they’ve witnessed.
Describing observation of this fact, one source states, “While believers in a great replacement are indeed credulous, foolish and often outright sick, they are also, uncomfortably, not entirely wrong. They have been replaced.” Regarding this view, consider the following hypothetical syllogism:
Form –
If p, then q; if q, then r; therefore, if p, then r.
Example – f
If the population of French people with lineage dating back several centuries is being replaced, then believers in a great replacement conspiracy theory are credulous, foolish and often outright sick for pointing out facts related to migrating populations.
If believers in a great replacement conspiracy theory are credulous, foolish and often outright sick for pointing out facts related to migrating populations, then conspiracy theorists may be ignored while mass immigration continues the process of multi-culturalism versus homogeneity.
Therefore, if the population of French people with lineage dating back several centuries is being replaced, then conspiracy theorists may be ignored while mass immigration continues the process of multi-culturalism versus homogeneity.
This is a logical conclusion even if unreasonable. As such, I suspect that attempting to discredit legitimate concerns as little more than “conspiracy theory” is easier to accomplish than addressing the merits of an argument. Perhaps this is why one source reports of French politician Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party:
The party continues to frame immigration as a security threat. Its leaders talk of “drastically reducing legal and illegal immigration and expelling foreign delinquents” as part of an effort to “put France in order.”
Although I have no carrot in the garden of French politics, I find it helpful to examine critiques expressed through differing perspective though without the baggage of dismissive terms related to conspiracy theory. Likewise, I find that being gaslit when assessing information is unhelpful.
The same is true regarding U.S. politics. For instance, on June 21, 2024, one source reported:
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a press briefing called the videos [of Joe Biden “reaching for a nonexistent chair”] “cheap fakes,” a term for videos edited using cheap video editing software rather than artificial intelligence.
[Donald] Trump’s campaign has doubled down on the clips and circulated a meme that defined a “cheap fake” as “any unedited video of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline that the Biden administration does not want the public to see.”
However, on June 27, 2024, the world was able to observe Biden’s questionable behavior during the Trump-Biden debate. Subsequent to the debate, when Jean-Pierre was questioned about her dismissive “cheap fakes” remark, she defended her gaslighting behavior. Then, on July 4, 2024, one source reported:
The White House often did not engage when questioned about the president’s stare, which sometimes raised alarm on social media when documented in official videos produced by the White House. The administration was above conspiratorial chitchat that entertained seriously scenarios in which the president was suffering from a shocking decline most Americans were not seeing.
If the president was being portrayed that way, it was by his political enemies on the right, who promoted through what the press office termed “cheap fakes” a caricature of an addled creature unfit to serve. They would not dignify those people, or people doing the bidding of those people, with a response.
Purposefully neglecting to engage legitimate concerns about Biden’s curious behavior, while recklessly labeling criticism as “conspiratorial,” is largely unhelpful. Noteworthy, since the Trump-Biden debate, I’ve worked with clients regarding this very matter.
Some people have apparently disturbed themselves with unhelpful beliefs about Trump and his supporters for so many years that these self-disturbed individuals have willfully chosen ignorance (lack of knowledge) over rationality. Now, they face a new problem.
Originally, ‘Trump is bad’ was the perceived issue with which these individuals dealt. The simple solution to this problem was to plug one’s ears, close one’s eyes, and loudly say “la la la la la” in order to practice denial regarding the potential legitimacy of claims leveled against Biden.
It’s not so difficult to pretentiously dismiss one’s sociopolitical opponents as deranged conspiracy theorists who wear tin foil hats. Regarding such headgear, one source states:
A tin foil hat is a hat made from one or more sheets of tin foil or aluminum foil, or a piece of conventional headgear lined with foil, often worn in the belief or hope that it shields the brain from threats such as electromagnetic fields, mind control, and mind reading. The notion of wearing homemade headgear for such protection has become a popular stereotype and byword for paranoia, persecutory delusions, and belief in pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.
Now that childish otherizing of Biden’s opponents has been met with the stark reality of the president’s abysmal debate performance, some clients are facing an activating event other than ‘Trump is bad.’ The new event relates to the potential of the Democratic Party plausibly having gaslit its own constituency.
One wonders how many yards of tin foil are required to cover the heads of so many people who’ve enjoyed the benefit of performing character attacks regarding their sociopolitical rivals and who are now suffering the effects of their unproductive beliefs. Shiny heads abound!
It isn’t as though sociopolitical rivals didn’t helpfully sound the alarm on Biden’s questionable behavior before the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Thus, self-disturbed beliefs which were founded upon nonfactual rumors of “conspiracy theories” were a conscious choice.
Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I attempt to help my clients understand that a tool of the CIA – behavior concerning to labeling possible or plausible events as that which relates to “conspiracy theory” – may not serve the interest and goals of those with whom I work.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study actually occurred. Actions surrounding the JFK assassination remain up for debate. The CIA was conducting questionable activities when I was assigned to the U.S. embassy in Lima, Peru during 2000.
Likewise, similar to France, migrant encounters at the southern U.S. border hit a record high in 2023. Also, Biden’s behavioral patterns are worth considering in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, as is the cognitive function of all U.S. political candidates in regard to public office.
Asserting these statements isn’t akin to spreading conspiracy theory rhetoric. Rather, these claims are worth logical and reasonable examination. Thus, I reject opinions which chastise others for conducting their “own research,” as critical thinking often begins with questioning narratives.
Finally, if you willfully make yourself ignorant, unproductively label others as “conspiracy theorists,” and disturb yourself with unhelpful beliefs – especially regarding politics, which is a realm in which one can expect to encounter lie after lie – then perhaps it’s time to examine your behavior before attempting to change the world.
As a requisite disclaimer, I don’t participate in the voting process. This is partially due to the religious teachings up with which I was raised. As well, I don’t believe in the functionality of the U.S. democratic republic voting process.
Nevertheless, I don’t advise others to behave as I do. Moreover, my nonattachment to engagement with the political process affords me an opportunity to address client concerns from a socio-politically disinterested perspective.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t maintain bias. I’m a fallible human being, so of course I do. Still, I’m not the type of psychotherapist who pushes a political agenda on my clients. (Let’s not pretend as though such practitioners don’t exist, because they do.)
Therefore, if, like many of my clients, you desire to work with a therapist so that you can stop upsetting yourself with unfavorable beliefs about sociopolitical issues as a means of getting better rather than merely feeling better, look no further than Hollings Therapy, LLC.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
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