Strong Conspiracism, Weak Conspiracism
An Interdisciplinary Look at the Conspiracy Universe
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1344/oximora.25.2025.47215Keywords:
Conspiracy Theories, Conspiracionism, Transparency, Elites, Cognitive BiasesAbstract
Conspiracies and conspiracy theories have become usual tools for the interpretation of contemporary social and political phenomena. This article proposes an interdisciplinary approach to conspiracism with the aim of contributing to a deeper and more thorough understanding of this phenomenon, while inviting its readers to reflect on it. First, we put forward the need for a conceptual and semantic effort that allows for a clear distinction between the terms related to the conspiracist universe (conspiracy, plot, conspiranoia, conspiracism), as well as their complex relationship with other relevant concepts (ignorance, transparency). Second, we delve into the most significant implicit or explicit elements with which conspiracist narratives operate, by paying special attention to their unique conception of power, the elites and their relationship to accountability. Finally, we consider the compensatory and appealing dimension of conspiracy theories in connection to a number of cognitive biases (confirmation, proportionality, pattern recognition, the conjunctive fallacy) defending the need for a distinction between strong and weak conspiracist worldviews.
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