conspiracy theory

A theory that some fact or information is being hidden from the general public—a conspiracy—for whatever reason. These views are generally not held by most people or media (which is often part of the point—if something *is* being hidden, most people wouldn’t know).

Possibly the most well-known and widespread conspiracy theory is that planet Earth is actually flat, not spherical, and that this fact is covered up, keeping people in the dark.

A conspiracy theory may be true, false, or only partially true. “Conspiracy theory” is often used as a pejorative, usually an attempt to discredit ideas that are disagreed with; however, although theories like the Earth being flat can be patently disproven, many are still controversial.

In the United States, many conspiracy theories are attributed to the federal government. For example:
• some people purport that the attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11) were perpetrated by the government as an excuse to increase citizen surveillance, or justify invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
• the demonstrations at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 were allegedly helped along by the government in an effort to discredit Donald Trump and his supporters.
• the existence of aliens and UFOs is supposedly hidden by the government, and equipment and specimens from said aliens is being stored in the top-secret Air Force facility Area 51.

“The CIA psychologically tortured human subjects to develop drugs that could psychomanipulate people during interrogations!”
“Oh yeah, that did happen, actually.”
“Sorry, what?”
“MKUltra. The CIA experimented on humans to make drugs.”
“…oh. Huh. Like, I was just trying to make up a weird conspiracy theory for Urban Dictionary, but… wow. I think my day is ruined now.”

by obscureharrypottercharacter February 11, 2024

Hard Problem of Conspiracy Theories

The paradoxical chasm between the social-psychological explanation for why people believe in conspiracies (needing control, pattern-seeking, tribal identity) and the epistemic possibility that some of them could, in principle, be true. The problem is that the very tools we use to debunk false conspiracies (pointing out logistical improbability, lack of evidence, or psychological motives) cannot definitively prove a conspiracy doesn't exist, because a truly successful one would, by design, hide its evidence. This creates an unfalsifiable standoff where rationality feels powerless, and belief becomes a matter of faith in either institutional honesty or institutional omnipotence.

Example: "We laughed at the moon landing hoax theory, citing the sheer number of people needed to stay silent. But the hard problem of conspiracy theories hit when my friend said, 'A perfect conspiracy would look exactly like a perfect truth.' I had no logical reply, just a sudden, cold feeling that evidence itself might be a prank played by a universe with good op-sec."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Hard Problem of Conspiracies

A more focused version: the practical and philosophical difficulty of proving a real-world conspiracy once it surpasses a certain scale and sophistication. Beyond a point, the evidence becomes circumstantial, witnesses are discredited, and documents are classified or destroyed. The "hard problem" is that the mechanisms a powerful group would use to execute a major conspiracy (compartmentalization, intimidation, media control) are the same mechanisms skeptics cite as being implausible. Reality blurs into a Le Carré novel where truth is not just hidden, but actively designed to look like paranoia.

Example: "Investigating the corporate price-fixing scandal, we hit the hard problem of conspiracies: the emails were deleted 'routinely,' key players had sudden 'failure of memory,' and the one whistleblower's life fell apart. Proving it wasn't about finding a smoking gun; it was about reconstructing a shadow from the absence of light, knowing the court needed the gun itself."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Conspiracy Theory Card

A rhetorical gambit used to instantly dismiss an argument, line of questioning, or piece of evidence by labeling it a "conspiracy theory," regardless of its factual basis or the reasonableness of the inquiry. This card is played to associate the speaker with the most irrational and lurid examples of conspiracy thinking (like flat Earth or lizard people), thereby poisoning the well, shutting down debate, and protecting the accused institution or narrative from scrutiny. It's a thought-terminating cliché.

Example: A journalist asks a pharmaceutical executive about undisclosed clinical trial data. The executive smiles and says to the room, "I see we have a conspiracy theorist in our midst." Playing the Conspiracy Theory Card reframes legitimate investigative journalism as paranoid fantasy, allowing the executive to avoid the question and discredit the journalist without addressing the substance.

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Conspiracy Hypothesis

Just as a Hypothesis is an educated guess with low-to-no evidence, so a Conspiracy Hypothesis has low-to-no evidence.

Unlike a Conspiracy THEORY which by (re)definition should have some or a lot of tangible or compelling evidence beyond empty assumptions, similarly to a scientific theory.

EXAMPLE 1)
Person 1: "bro did you hear about the Conspiracy Theory that ancient aliens have built the pyramids? These people and their Theories"

Person 2: " That isn't even a theory; it's straight up a conspiracy hypothesis. At least conspiracy theories about things like Epstein have evidence behind them."

EXAMPLE 2)
Facebook mom (federal agent): "They're putting 5G chips into 'em bags of chips"

Noone tells her that its just a Conspiracy Hypothesis, because Facebook is entirely composed of bots and feds.

by WiseFool_or_FoolishWiseman? February 6, 2026

Consent by Power (Opposite of Conspiracy Theory)

The recognition that much of what conspiracy theories attribute to secret plots is actually the visible, predictable operation of power in open view. Where conspiracy theorists see hidden cabals, Consent by Power sees institutions functioning as designed: media serving corporate interests, politicians serving donors, police protecting property, courts favoring wealth. It's not a secret because it doesn't need to be—it's how the system works, openly, legally, with public consent manufactured through the very processes conspiracy theories imagine are hidden. The opposite of conspiracy theory isn't "nothing happens"—it's "everything happens exactly as power would predict, and we let it."

Consent by Power (Opposite of Conspiracy Theory) "You think there's a secret committee controlling the media? That's a conspiracy theory. The reality is Consent by Power: media owners openly have interests, openly shape coverage, and we openly consume it. No secret—just power, visible and permitted. The conspiracy isn't hidden; it's hiding in plain sight."

by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026

Consensus by Power (Opposite of Conspiracy Theory)

The observation that what looks like mysterious agreement across institutions is actually the predictable result of shared interests, common training, and aligned incentives—all operating openly. Where conspiracy theorists imagine secret coordination, Consensus by Power sees the normal functioning of elite networks: similar backgrounds, similar educations, similar social circles, similar interests producing similar conclusions without any need for secret meetings. The consensus isn't manufactured in back rooms; it's manufactured in prep schools, Ivy League seminars, corporate boardrooms, and exclusive clubs—all visible, all legal, all operating exactly as designed.

Consensus by Power (Opposite of Conspiracy Theory) "Both parties agree on the fundamentals of economic policy. Conspiracy theorists imagine secret meetings. Consensus by Power says: they all went to the same schools, read the same books, take the same donors, move in the same circles. No conspiracy needed—just shared interests producing shared conclusions, openly."

by Dumu The Void February 24, 2026