Conspiracy theories are inherently unfalsifiable because believers dismiss counterevidence as a plot

Evidence

The result is a closed system of ideas about a plot that is believed not only to be responsible for creating a wide range of evils but also to be so clever at covering its tracks that it can manufacture the evidence adduced by skeptics. In the end, the theory becomes nonfalsifi able, because every attempt at falsifi cation is dismissed as a ruse. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 96

Categorization

• DEFINE: A compact working definition of what makes a belief a conspiracy theory: unfalsifiability via the premise that conspirators manufacture all contrary evidence.
• XREF: Connects to Popper’s falsifiability criterion and the general epistemology of unfalsifiable belief systems from the Silence reading list. — connects to: Conspiracy research should track idea migration, not belief truth — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 50; Superconspiracy logic makes conspiracy theory unfalsifiable and turns theorists against each other — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 360; A secret-government claim makes conspiracy theories unfalsifiable to their audiences — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 443 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy theories become unfalsifiable by dismissing skeptic evidence as planted #corroborates (0.95)
• For conspiracy believers, the conspiracy is an axiom, not a conclusion #corroborates (0.85) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 812