I’ve always been curious about conspiracy theories. Their characteristics, pervasiveness, the lives of conspirators and conspiracy theorists… what must it be like to live in the world of conspiracy? Or perhaps, we do live in it. Or maybe that’s just what they want us to think. Or maybe they are part of it. Or maybe thinking is a part of the conspiracy too.
Conspiracies are always innately romantic. They’re mysteries, often narrative, that fit together otherwise random, but meaningful, events like a complex puzzle the theorist only has to unravel. They invoke many of the deepest human emotions and challenges – greed, deceit, betrayal, guilt…
Exploring the depths of YouTube with friends in a stint of winter break boredom, I came across the most captivating and sexy conspiracy theories yet put out to the American public.
I learned that the Titanic was an epic insurance fraud (why else would they neglect to install sufficient lifeboats?), that Julius Caesar was stabbed not for giving birth to the Roman Empire but for legislating against money-changers, that Pearl Harbor was masterminded by the Knights Templar, that the Federal Reserve was a Jewish conspiracy to colonize Palestine, and that the world leaders are descended from an alien master race of reptiles called Reptilians. The Reptilians, according to one dedicated theorist, include Bill Clinton, the Bush family, various world royalty and leaders of the World Bank, WTO, probably the United Nations, and God knows what else. They come originally from the star system Alpha Draconis (of course, being in the constellation Draco, the dragon-like appearance of which confirms the conspiracy).
While it might be tempting to dismiss such lunacy as Internet spam nonsense, we must remember that arguably more plausible conspiracy theories have a large following. The Sept. 11 conspiracy theories, for instance, have triggered doubts in almost a third of Americans.
The curiosity here, to me, is not the truth or falsity of any given conspiracy theory. Generally, I believe mainstream accounts of events, like all accounts, deserve a sympathetic hearing, and should be followed by a skeptical response. The problem comes when we refuse to regard any particular position with some skepticism, where we might be so convinced of some reality that we leave ourselves closed to any other reasonable possibility.
I wonder if conspiracy theories can elevate to the level of religion, having devout followers committed to the cause and convincing others to follow as well, dedicated individuals that believe in their conspiracy so whole-heartedly they feel personally insulted, even emotionally distraught, over the idea that it could be false. This is what’s really interesting to me.
We must admit that a conspiracy theory does, in many ways, resemble a religion. It posits a force, being, or entity significantly (if not infinitely) more powerful than ourselves. It argues this being is to blame, or credit, for some occurrence otherwise difficult to explain. It suggests action and particular responses to the theory, but provides no exact guidance on what to do about it, leaving the interpretation of its meaning and result up to the individual follower.
Avid conspiracy theorists might argue here, correctly in my view, that their theory is based simply on their observations of reality, of accurate facts in their world. We must remember, though, so are most religions. And while a religion might focus more on providing us with moral and spiritual guidance, a conspiracy theory has a lot in common with religious belief systems.
There seems to exist a human need to believe in something more powerful than us. Something that can be held to account for things that go wrong in our world, something that can be appealed to for hope that they go right.
This is the element of conspiracy theories that I think are most ignored by scientists who dismiss them as lunatic rabble: their spiritual and philosophical consequences. What is it about the human condition that longs for this kind of belief? What would happen if there was no conspiracy, no “cabal of powerful men,” and we simply had ourselves, our own fallibility, our own laziness, and our own neglect to blame for the problems we face? Would the world we live in look any different?
My intention here is not to try and debunk or even discredit any particular conspiracy theory. Some of them might actually be true. I don’t pretend to know. But when we really think about what it would mean if there were no conspiracy, and the most powerful entity in our own lives were ourselves, I think we could begin to imagine some difficult reasons why the world of theory might be so provocative after all.
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