For conspiracy believers, the conspiracy is an axiom, not a conclusion

Evidence

However, if one discusses with believers, especially with conspiracy believers, then one must sometimes realize that they live in a completely separate world and that a basic consensus as a basis for argumentation simply does not exist. For them, the existence of a world-dominating conspiracy is not the end result to be proven, but the unalterable fact at the beginning of all considerations. Let us assume that we succeed to prove unalterably to a convinced September 11 truther that the Pentagon was hit by a commercial airliner, that the Twin Towers were hit by the airplanes, and that the World Trade Center 7 building collapsed as a result of the following fires. This would not prove to him that the September 11 attacks were not staged by the U.S. government, but merely that the government used commercial aircraft to do so. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 812

Categorization

• DEFINE: Names the epistemic structure of conspiracy belief: the conspiracy preexists as unalterable fact, so contrary evidence gets absorbed into it.
• XREF: Connects to the backfire-effect literature on motivated reasoning and the notion of unfalsifiable frameworks. — connects to: Conspiracy theories usually aim to name an enemy, not to build a coherent story. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 64; Conspiracy worldviews rest on three design principles excluding randomness — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 74; Numerological reasoning can connect any event to a favored conspiracy conclusion — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 774 (+3 more)

Related

• Conspiracy theories are inherently unfalsifiable because believers dismiss counterevidence as a plot (similarity 0.84)
• Conspiracies refer to actual events while conspiracy theories are unverified accusations. (similarity 0.81)
• Conspiracy theories usually aim to name an enemy, not to build a coherent story. (similarity 0.81)
• Classic conspiracy theory mimics scientific method to question official accounts. (similarity 0.81)
• Conspiracism is not bullshit because it cares about being affirmed as reality. (similarity 0.81)
• Delegitimizing authority is the common core of all conspiracy theories (similarity 0.81)
• Conspiracy theorists seek acceptance by the academic world they distrust. (similarity 0.81)
• Claims without evidence cannot be refuted by counter-evidence. (similarity 0.81)
• Conspiracy beliefs fundamentally function to delineate and locate evil (similarity 0.81)
• The more sweeping a conspiracy theory’s claims, the less relevant evidence becomes. (similarity 0.80)
• Conspiracists reinterpret disconfirming evidence as planted by the conspirators. (similarity 0.80)
• Studying conspiracy beliefs itself triggers defensive backlash from believers. (similarity 0.80)
• Refuting a conspiracy theory directly is useless; examining its origin works better (similarity 0.80)
• Conspiracy belief offers psychological reassurance by making the world meaningful and purposive (similarity 0.80)
• Conspiracy theories convert vague existential dread into manageable concrete fear (similarity 0.80)