Are all conspiracy theories nonsense?
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This resource is a wikidebate, a collaborative effort to gather and organize all arguments on a given issue. It is a tool of argument analysis or pro-and-con analysis. This is not a place to defend your preferred points of view, but original arguments are allowed and welcome. See the Wikidebate guidelines for more.
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
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Argument for 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.[1] 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.[2]
Con
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Argument against 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.- Argument against 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
[edit | edit source]Notes and references
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Mary Van Beusekom (August 16, 2023). "Report spotlights 52 US doctors who posted potentially harmful COVID misinformation online". Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
- ↑ "Vijftien Belgische artsen geschorst vanwege antivax-uitspraken". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). January 7, 2022.