Positive versus Negative Conspiracy Theories
The dissertation is progressing rather well. I've had one chapter approved and another sort-of approved. The second chapter is the one where I lay out the categorization of the types of conspiracy theories. I have them separated as to scale, focus, and obviousness. The wider the scale of a conspiracy theory the more unlikely it actually is: a conspiracy theory that is about a single event is, prima facie, more plausible than a conspiracy theory that involves the global control by the Illuminati. Too many moving parts, too many people to keep the secret, etc. The focus is important because there is a difference between political theories and ones that cover just knowledge. The people on ancient aliens are conspiracy theorists--they're not just putting forth an alternative view (which is incorrect) of history but are making a claim that there position is being rejected because it threatens the establishment. Climate change denial is as much a conspiracy theory as believing MI6 ...