Classic conspiracy theory imposes proportionality to make world-changing events comprehensible

Evidence

Classic conspiracism—conspiracy with the theory—has not been displaced by the new conspiracism. Sometimes farfetched, sometimes accurate, and sometimes a vexing mix of the two, classic conspiracism tries to make sense of a disorderly and complicated world by insisting that powerful people control the course of events. In this way, for both people on the left and those on the right, classic conspiracism gives order and meaning to occurrences that, in their minds, defy standard or official explanations. The logic of classic conspiracism makes sense of things by imposing a version of proportionality: world-changing events cannot happen because of the actions of a single obscure person or a string of senseless accidents. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 12

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes classic conspiracism (conspiracy with theory) from the new conspiracism the book introduces, explaining its proportionality logic.
• XREF: Connects to earlier highlights on trust and discourse analysis reading patterns onto collective events. — connects to: Conspiracy belief offers psychological reassurance by making the world meaningful and purposive — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 78; Disproportionate effect-to-cause gaps drive people toward conspiracy explanations — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 116

Broader Connections

• Disproportionate effect-to-cause gaps drive people toward conspiracy explanations #corroborates (0.82) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 116