Conspiracist claims that sever assertion from verifiability also destroy genuine skepticism

Evidence

Our point in this chapter is that the new conspiracist invention of reality introduces a different assault on knowledge. Its fabulations sever the connection between assertions and beliefs on the one hand and anything verifiable in the world on the other. This immunizes conspiracist claims from scrutiny and doubt. What follows is that the new conspiracists undercut not only knowledge but also skepticism. This matters, first, because the assault on skepticism is damaging to democracy. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 264

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the book’s core definitional move: new conspiracism fabulation severs assertion from verifiability, which distinguishes it from ordinary falsehood.
• XREF: connects to: New conspiracism drops explanation and evidence in favor of bare assertion — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 14; Falsifiable claims coexisted with advisers rejecting evidential standards outright — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 25; Epistemic closure makes conspiracists unable to be true skeptics — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 272