Are all conspiracy theories nonsense?

Nowadays, there are quite a lot of conspiracy theories. From the moon landing never happening to the assassination of John F. Kennedy involving multiple people to 9/11 being an inside job. But are all conspiracy theories nonsense? Could certain conspiracy theories be true? Should we trust the generally accepted stories, often promoted by governments? Or should we think for ourselves and personally investigate the truth?

All conspiracy theories are nonsense

Pro

• Pro Conspiracy theories are theories based on people's inventions to explain things they do not understand.
  • Objection There are also scientists, such as physicians, who believe in conspiracy theories. You can assume that their research is not based on nonsense. They must have made well-considered decisions, especially considering that some physicians, for instance, have been suspended after coming forward with their ideas.
    • Objection You make the assumption that scientists believe in conspiracy theories that are related to their presumably nonsensical research. This is seen in "Nobel Disease", where some of the brightest minds find themselves, for whatever reason, believing in conspiracies not related to their field of expertise. It's very uncommon, for example, to see a Stephen Hawking believing that aliens have been spotted on earth before.

Con

• Con The Watergate scandal, before it became clear what exactly had happened, was also considered a conspiracy theory at first. President Nixon kept insisting that he was not involved in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, but it later turned out that he actually was. This scandal turned out not to be a nonsensical conspiracy theory but the actual truth.
  • Objection Generally, however, most conspiracies are proven false by an overwhelming amount of evidence. It's very possible that the Watergate Scandal may have only been deemed a conspiracy if the public had all of the evidence. Without any evidence the theory would be nonsensical.
    • Objection The claim is not that most conspiracies are nonsense, but that all of them are. Therefore, even one example disproves the overarching claim. Furthermore, even if Watergate was deemed a conspiracy, this doesn't actually affect whether or not it happened. Therefore, you only strengthen the argument that conspiracies don't require evidence to be supported.
• Con Adherents of doctrines that contradict what a particular religious community considers to be fundamental beliefs were once regarded as heretics. For example, Galileo's opinions were met with opposition within the Catholic Church. In 1616, during the Galileo affair, the Inquisition declared heliocentrism to be "formally heretical". Furthermore, according to the Apology of Socrates, Socrates was charged with, among other things, "not believing in the gods in whom the city believes." Yet, both of these individuals introduced ideas that have significantly influenced our understanding of the world.

See also

• Was 9/11 an inside job?