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.
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.”
“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
Get the conspiracy theory mug.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
Get the Hard Problem of Conspiracy Theories mug.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
Get the Hard Problem of Conspiracies mug.