Conspiracy worldviews corrode the shared trust reality depends on.

Evidence

Conspiracy myths corrode this trust. They assume that there are large-scale conspiracies that permeate and corrupt all the main pillars of the state and society. Citizens would be deceived with systematic misinformation, while shady powers operate in the background. In this worldview, every fact, every statement and every piece of information appears dubious, even directly suspect. The film “The Matrix” by the Wachovskis from 1999 sums up this basic feeling most clearly. Everything that appears to us as reality is in truth a virtual projection to keep us docile and exploit us. The more such world views spread, the more difficult it becomes to reach people with information and education, and the easier it is for demagogues to play. In the worst case, the common consensus about our reality is lost. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 137

Categorization

• XREF: The Matrix parallel connects to Zamyatin’s We and the general distrust-of-appearances motif in dystopian fiction. — connects to: Conspiracy belief stems from universal human meaning-making rather than outsider pathology — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 32; Global erosion of institutional trust sustains conspiracy belief beyond any single political era — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 112; All knowledge depends on fiduciary trust in some community, including conspiracist belief — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 282 (+1 more)

Related

• Conspiracy belief offers psychological reassurance by making the world meaningful and purposive (similarity 0.82)
• Conspiracy belief stems from universal human meaning-making rather than outsider pathology (similarity 0.81)
• Conspiracy theories have repeatedly caused serious global harm throughout history (similarity 0.80)
• All knowledge depends on fiduciary trust in some community, including conspiracist belief (similarity 0.80)
• Most of what people believe is taken on trust, not direct observation (similarity 0.80)
• Global erosion of institutional trust sustains conspiracy belief beyond any single political era (similarity 0.80)
• Conspiracy beliefs mark subcultures rooted in fringe religion and politics (similarity 0.79)
• Conspiracism distorts everyday personal relationships, not just politics (similarity 0.79)
• Conspiracy theories convert vague existential dread into manageable concrete fear (similarity 0.79)
• Lie-telling presupposes a shared reality that conspiracism rejects (similarity 0.79)
• Conspiracy beliefs erode democratic participation and breed extremism (similarity 0.79)
• Collapse of institutional trust creates a narrative power vacuum that conspiracy ideologies fill (similarity 0.79)
• Conspiracy theories are accessible ways to speak truth to power (similarity 0.79)
• Stress and institutional distrust drive Americans toward conspiracy explanations of unwelcome reality. (similarity 0.78)
• Conspiracy belief has long spanned the American political spectrum (similarity 0.78)