Bizarre fringe beliefs can grow into devastating orthodoxies

Evidence

But the fact that the beliefs described in the preceding chapters are bizarre ought not to imply that they are necessarily innocuous or unworthy of careful scrutiny. Bizarre beliefs have broken into the open before. Indeed, new orthodoxies can emerge out of just such ideological undergrowth, sometimes with devastating effects. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 1136

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the historical case of scientific racism (orthodox until WWII) the author cites. — connects to: Stigmatized knowledge persists but has lost its separateness — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 1132; Conspiracy beliefs mark subcultures rooted in fringe religion and politics; Exhausted traditional truths make patently absurd doctrines more acceptable to elites — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 793 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Exhausted traditional truths make patently absurd doctrines more acceptable to elites #expands (0.82) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 793
• Secular ideologies have caused genocides comparable to religious ones #exemplifies (0.75)
• New World Order conspiracy theory spans the religious-secular divide #exemplifies (0.72) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 346