In Defence of Conspiracy Theories, part 1

Many people hold that conspiracy theories are prima facie false or improbable, or otherwise epistemically suspect. In this video, I reject this "generalist" position on conspiracy theories, and outline some of the problems with the standard arguments in favour of generalism.

0:00 - Introduction
2:09 - Generalism vs particularism
8:58 - The basic case for particularism
Arguments for generalism
17:49 - The ethical argument
22:07 - The psychological argument
35:16 - Conspiracy theories are unfalsifiable
43:47 - Conspiracy theories are self-undermining

For more on this topic, see the work of Matthew Dentith, Lee Basham, Charles Pigden, and David Coady.

[Milankoful]

Actually, about turning the frogs gay. I heard that was kinda true after all...

[thomassmythe]

I always think some skepticism about everything is a good thing. Never accept anything without asking why it is you actually believe that particular thing.

[hansfrankfurter]

Id say official narration and anti conspiracy attitudes can also be “unfalsifiable” . If youve seen debates between these two camps, its pretty clear that the debunkers also engage in resistance to counter evidence by adapting a slightly modified theory.

A common example is that the 9/11 attacks were a total surprise as claimed by the Bush administration, when the conspiracy side presents overwhelming evidence that not only it wasnt a surprise but the hijackers were well known and even actively follower and investigated, then the theory changes to “ well okay incompetence and they lied to avoid public embarrassment “ .

[juanma]

I think the Conspiracy theories should be divided between ones that provide evidence and ones that dont, it doesnt matter if there have been true conspiracy theories in the past, if those conspiracy theories were not based on evidence and the people that created them just lucked into the true answer then conspiracy theorizing is still not a good of finding truth.

[mdisdqd]

I can't watch this right now, but I can't wait until I can

[thatyoutubechannel]

Conspiracy theory, propaganda, ideology, politics - most people have no idea what these things mean

[cliffordhodge]

The only interesting aspect of a conspiracy theory or hypothesis is the question of bad faith, whether there is an attempt to deceive, either by suppressing good evidence or simply inventing something out of thin air, so to speak, as a distraction from the actual state of affairs. It is ironic that the people in the field of law seem to have a pretty good approach to this. When some people are accused by the DA of conspiring to murder, defraud, or whatever, it would never occur to anyone to say, "Well, that's just a conspiracy theory." It is similar for a tort claim of conspiracy. They simply look over the best evidence they can obtain and decide on that basis, just as would be done with any other kind of theory. Its being a theory of a conspiracy is taken as prima facie totally irrelevant to the question of theory evaluation.

[cunjoz]

This one will blow your mind:
...




The cake is a lie.

[Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

The event, or Conspiracy, is and was always criminal in nature. That is the very definition. It has to involve the commission of a crime.