A secret-government claim makes conspiracy theories unfalsifiable to their audiences

Evidence

In the years since the MJ-12 papers became widely known, they have taken on a life of their own. Additional, related documents periodically appear, some as recently as 1998. Just as with the Kennedy assassination, MJ-12 has generated a cottage industry of commentators, authenticators, and critics. More broadly, MJ-12 laid the foundation for elaborate conspiracy theories by suggesting that UFOs were of extraterrestrial origin, that the federal government was aware of them as early as the late 1940s, and that a secret bureaucracy had been created to study and control the situation. These claims allowed some ufologists to shift from observation of fl ying saucers to attempts to unravel alleged government machinations. The proliferation of MJ-12 documents and theories not only identifi ed the enemy as a segment of the government, but—inasmuch as this “secret government” was supposed to have hidden all relevant information—allowed great latitude in what might be “revealed.” It mattered little whether publicly available evidence confi rmed a claim; its author could always respond, “The government knows it, but won’t tell you.” — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 443

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: Explains the structural self-sealing logic of conspiracy theorizing: positing an all-knowing secret government converts any lack of confirming evidence into further proof of concealment.
• XREF: Connects to the general theory of conspiratorial epistemology and unfalsifiability familiar from works on post-truth and populist epistemics. — connects to: Conspiracy charts argue a few elites secretly control all institutions — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 356; Superconspiracy logic makes conspiracy theory unfalsifiable and turns theorists against each other — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 360; Conspiracy theories become unfalsifiable by dismissing skeptic evidence as planted (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Secret-government theory renders any claim unfalsifiable by invoking hidden knowledge. #corroborates (0.92) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 442
• Conspiracy theories become unfalsifiable by dismissing skeptic evidence as planted #expands (0.85)
• Conspiracy theories are inherently unfalsifiable because believers dismiss counterevidence as a plot #expands (0.85) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 96
• Conspiracy theories describe an eternal secret nation behind visible events #corroborates (0.80)
• Conspiracy claims gain credibility by mixing precise detail with untestable vagueness #qualifies (0.75) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 383
• Specific claims are subordinate to a superordinate conspiracy narrative #expands (0.72) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 195