Specific claims are subordinate to a superordinate conspiracy narrative
Evidence
A consequence of this type of reasoning is that the specifics of the conspiracy don’t matter; as long as the explanation is sufficiently conspiratorial in nature, it still provides a sense of global, higher order ‘coherence’. Remember, the point is that some evil group is plotting something somewhere. As long as there’s potential for a superordinate conspiracy, then espousing contradictory beliefs is still consistent with the underlying worldview, even when lower-order explanations don’t always add up. That’s why Neil deGrasse Tyson was fighting an uphill battle: any inconsistencies in B.o.B’s beliefs were justified by larger suspicions that NASA was hiding the truth. There is no psychological cure (that I know of) that unravels or counteracts the fully developed conspiratorial worldview. And it’s highly contagious. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 195
Categorization
- DEEPTHINKING: The observation that global ‘coherence’ overrides local contradiction — the worldview tolerates any inconsistency as long as a larger plot accounts for it — is a genuinely paradigm-level insight into why such systems are immutable.
- XREF: connects to: Belief in some conspiracies predicts endorsement of unrelated fictional ones — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 184; Conspiracy theories primarily assign blame rather than explain events — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 972; Assessing conspiracist claims requires dual suspension of disbelief and suspicion — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 40 (+18 more)
Broader Connections
- Conspiracy theories evolve toward complex multi-organization superconspiracies
#expands(0.90) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 349 - Conspiracy theories usually aim to name an enemy, not to build a coherent story.
#contradicts(0.82) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 64 - Conspiracy theories primarily assign blame rather than explain events
#corroborates(0.80) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 972 - Conspiracy theories are often more complex than official accounts.
#expands(0.75) — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 194 - Assessing conspiracist claims requires dual suspension of disbelief and suspicion
#expands(0.72) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 40