Conspiracy Theories_I.pptx

CONSPIRACY THEORIES I Dr. Simon Langford QUASSIM CASSAM For this topic, we will be relying heavily on Cassam’s book Conspiracy Theories, 2019. Cassam is Professor of Philosophy at Warwick University, UK.  OUTLINE What’s wrong with Conspiracy Th...

CONSPIRACY THEORIES I Dr. Simon Langford QUASSIM CASSAM For this topic, we will be relying heavily on Cassam’s book Conspiracy Theories, 2019. Cassam is Professor of Philosophy at Warwick University, UK.  OUTLINE What’s wrong with Conspiracy Theories? Conspiracy Theories and conspiracy theories What’s the pupose of Conspiracy Theories? What makes Conspiracy Theories Special?  INTRODUCTION What is a conspiracy? When 2 or more people plot together in secret. Historical examples of conspiracies: Guy Fawkes’ gunpowder plot Watergate Scandal 9/11 (official account)  GUNPOWDER PLOT Guy Fawkes and other conspirators plotted to kill England’s King James I by blowing up Parliament (in order to end the persecution of Catholics in England). The plot failed.  THE WATERGATE SCANDAL In 1972 the Republicans conspired to break into the Democratic National Committee Headquaters to steal documents and plant listening devices. The Republicans, including President Nixon, further conspired to cover up their involvement. Nixon eventually resigned.  9/11 Al Qaeda conspired to fly planes into targets in the US, including the World Trade Centre Towers and the Pentagon.  INTRODUCTION More controversial examples of conspiracy theories which some people accept and others reject: Moon Landings Conspiracy 9/11 Truthers Anti-vaxxers JFK Conspiracy Holocaust Deniers Sandy Hook  MOON LANDING CONSPIRACY The US faked the moon landing in 1969. They faked it to make it look as though they had beaten the USSR (the Russians) in the space- race.  9/11 TRUTHERS 9/11 was an inside job: planned and executed by the US government to justify the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Al Qaeda was not involved or merely helped.  ANTI-VAXXERS Vaccines are being used by Bill Gates to sterilize women in Africa. Gates is also using them to implant microchips into us, which allow him to monitor and control people.  HOLOCAUST DENIERS The holocaust of WWII never happened. The Nazis did not murder millions of Jews in concentration camps. That idea was promoted by the Israelis to gain sympathy for Jewish migration to Israel. JFK CONSPIRACY Official account: Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK acting alone. LHO was later shot by an angry bar owner. Conspiracy Theory: the assassination was arranged by the “deep state.” Lee Harvey Oswald was acting on their SANDY HOOK Official account: in 2012 Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School (20 children and 6 adults). Conspiracy Theory: the Democrats faked the whole thing to win support for anti-gun laws. Nobody was shot. Actors pretended to be bereaved parents.  CONSPIRACY THEORISTS AND CONSPIRACY SCEPTICS People who reject the more controversial conspiracy theories and think it is irrational to believe them are often called conspiracy sceptics. People who believe some of the more controversial conspiracy theories or think it is rational to take them seriously are often called conspiracy theorists. Are you a conspiracy sceptic or a conspiracy theorist?  WHAT’S WRONG WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Some say conspiracy theorists are stupid, gullible, paranoid, or irresponsible. Psychologists have said: Conspiracy theories are corrosive to societal and individual well being; Conspiracy theorists are more likely to be male, unmarried, less educated, lower household income, see themselves as lower social standing, lower levels of physical and psychological well being, more likely to have mental illness.  WHAT’S WRONG WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Conspiracy theorists would say that people who refuse to believe conspiracy theories are naïve if they think powerful people are always good and honest. Conspiracy theorists would also say conspiracy sceptics are conservative people who don’t want to question “the official story” about events told in the mainstream media.  WHAT’S WRONG WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Cassam distinguishes between conspiracy theories and Conspiracy Theories. Gunpowder plot and 9/11 (official account) are conspiracy theories. 9/11 Truther theory and holocaust denial are Conspiracy Theories. Do you think these are different in any important way?  WHAT’S WRONG WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Cassam: there are special features that make something a Conspiracy Theory. These special features make the theory especially unlikely to be true; so it’s not sensible to believe them. Cassam asks: What is the purpose of Conspiracy Theories? What is their function?  WHAT’S THE POINT OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Cassam thinks the main purpose of Conspiracy Theories is propaganda. What is propaganda? E.g. holocaust denial—promotes “extreme right wing” politics by exonerating the Nazis and putting Jews in a negative light. E.g. 9/11 Truther theory—promotes anti- federal government politics (or anti- American politics).  WHAT’S THE POINT OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Objection: the purpose of these theories to expose lies and tell the truth! Cassam: the purpose of the heart in the body is to pump blood—that’s what it does, that’s what it achieves. What CTs do is promote a political viewpoint. They do it in a special way: by providing seductive explanations of major events which are objectively unlikely but which influence public opinion in the preferred direction.  WHAT’S THE POINT OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Objection: many people just believe the CT. They’re not trying to spread lies to promote a political viewpoint. Cassam: sometimes people spread CTs to promote a political viewpoint. Sometimes people spread them because they actually believe them. Either way, the CT does the job of promoting a specific political agenda. WHAT’S THE POINT OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES? Objection: some CTs have nothing to do with politics. E.g., Elvis is still alive. Cassam: okay, but most do. E.g., Faked moon landings. Who faked them? The government or the “deep state”.  WHAT MAKES CONSPIRACY THEORIES SPECIAL? Cassam: there are special features which make something a Conspiracy Theory rather than a conspiracy theory. These special features make CTs especially unlikely to tbe true. Cassam identifies 5 special features.  SPECULATIVE CTs are based on guess-work—connecting the dots– rather than solid evidence. Compare CTs with Operation Northwoods. Operation Northwoods isn’t guess-work. The planning is there in black and white in the National Security Archive. No conjecture needed. No dots to connect. CTs are not just unproven; they are often already proven false.  CONTRARIAN BY NATURE First, CTs are usually contrary to the official view. Not always though. Sometimes a CT is the official view. E.g., Bush administration’s CT about Iraq having WMD. Still a CT (not a conspiracy theory). Second, CTs are usually contrary to appearances. It seems like Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, but the CT says there’s more to it. It seems like Al Qaeda planned 9/11, but the CT says there’s more to it. I.e., appearanes don’t tell the whole truth—we need to connect the dots using clues.  ESOTERIC CTs reject obvious explanations. They say appearances don’t match reality. This gives them an esoteric feel. “Truth is stranger than fiction.” E.g., some JFK CTs say there was a ”second Lee Harvey Oswald”— somebody impersonating the real Lee Harvey Oswald.  AMATEUR Amateur sleuths and internet detectives tend to lack relevant expertise. E.g., expertise in ballistics or engineering. Instead, CTs have been defended by CEOs and retired professors of English/economics/philosophy. Sometimes CTs are defended by people with relevant expertise. But then their opinion is opposed by a far greater number of experts in the same area. E.g., 9/11 building 7.  PRE-MODERN WORLDVIEW Pre-modern worldview: there must be a meaning behind major, complex events. Modern worldview: “shit happens”. Oswald shot Kennedy and then an angry bar owner shot Oswald. There’s no deeper meaning to be found in these crazy events.  PRE-MODERN WORLDVIEW 9/11: why did the CIA and FBI not foil the plot when between them they had the intelligence to do so? Pre-modern worldview: there must be a deeper meaning—they were involved in the plot. Modern worldview: they were at loggerheads and weren’t collaborating. That happens in big bureaucracies. No deeper reason.  CONCLUSION Here are Cassam’s main claims so far. Theories with these 5 features are unlikely to be true. They spread not because they’re likely to be true but because they are seductive pieces of propaganda.  OBJECTIONS Just because a theory is speculative, contary to appearances or esoteric doesn’t mean it can’t be true. Sometimes the truth is hidden or covered up and we need to connect the dots to uncover it. Sometimes amateurs do uncover truths. Experts aren’t the only ones to discover the facts. Experts might be afraid to say what they really believe. That may be why just a few brave experts speak the truth and defend CTs. Sometimes shit just happens. But sometimes it’s planned. Are these strong objections to Cassam’s views?  SUMMARY Conspiracy: when 2 or more people plot together secretly. Conspiracy Theories and conspiracy theories What’s the purpose of Conspiracy Theories? Cassam says: propaganda Conspiracy theorists say: to expose lies What’s Special about Conspiracy Theories? Cassam says: Speculative, Contrarian, Esoteric, Amateur, Pre-modern Worldview  QUESTIONS Make sure you’re familiar with the conspiracy theories and the Conspiracy Theories mentioned in class. What do psychologists say about Conspiracy Theories and people who believe them? Do you agree? Why or why not? Explain, using examples, what Cassam thinks is the purpose of Conspiracy Theories. Do you agree? Why or why not? Explain each of the special features Cassam says CTs tend to have. Think about the objections to Cassam’s view. Are they good? Can you think of any more objections? Can you think how Cassam might reply?