Chris Ranalli - Conspiracy Theories You Can’t Reject But Can Ignore (BNU-ZH Seminar)

A recording of Chris Ranalli's talk "Conspiracy Theories You Can’t Reject But Can Ignore" as presented on the 14th of June, 2024, in the Beijing Normal University at Zhuhau International Center for Philosophy Seminar Series.
Chris Ranalli is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at VU Amsterdam, whose research is primarily in epistemology. Chris’ recent work includes ‘What's so bad about Echo chambers?’ and ‘Closed-minded Belief and Indoctrination.’ Chris is part of the ERC Extreme Beliefs group, researching weaponized doubt, meaning- and identity-conferring beliefs, and how to reconcile deep commitments with serious challenges. Chris studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and the University of California, Berkeley.

[@entertheabzu]

About 5 years ago I tried to map the meta-conspiratorial mindset/philosophy. It seemed to boil down to:
1) The Deceivers
2) The Other
3) The End
The Deceivers covers the more normal conspiratorial thinking, just covering malevolent thinking, political machinery, global elite, etc. People who posit interference in the scientific realm to hide discovered archaeological evidence is another big one, I suppose including things like Flat Earth, advanced historical civilizations, etc.
The Other covers things like cryptids, aliens, demons, shadow people, reptilian shapeshifters, annunaki, nephilim, etc. Beings that shouldn't be there, things that are typically thought of not being real.
The End covers all eschatological thinking, religious or otherwise. Obviously typical rapture talk, but also things like 2012, Y2K, asteroid impact theorizing, pole shift, etc.
I really appreciate the talk, but from what I've seen I do think you kind of glossed over the fact that conspiracy in and of itself is real, and there have been and ARE deceitful actors in the halls of power, and we find out new things our governments have lied about at the time, where the truth comes out a generation or two after the fact. Conspiracy isn't necessarily just a symptom of stupidity or mental illness, it's caused by memories of past 'falsehoods' being proven to be correct. Obviously like you said, one thing being a REAL conspiracy instead of a 'conspiracism' doesn't mean they're all true, but if you think of things that seemed ridiculous at the time that end up being found to be a reality a generation later, like MK Ultra, Stratospheric Aerosol Injections/Solar Geoengineering/Chemtrails, etc. it really flares up the conspiratorial thinking.
Ironically while a lot of conspiracy theorists do believe the craziest things, I think it comes from a misguided understanding that "I don't know anything based on my little station in the world, so who am I to say this is false." instead of "I am blessed with divine knowledge, and others should believe me blindly because I say so." Again, ironically, a lot of 'debunkers' fall into the second one, despite being generally correct.

[@Steelmage99]

Chemtrails? Real? Not in any sense presented by conspiracy theorists....

[@tictacterminator]

I mapped the neoliberal mindset
There was only 1 group
Midwits

[@juliancharles336]

Looking forward to this, thanks.

[@seditt5146]

But its a terrible talk full of BS.

[@jdoe9518]

A criminal conspiracy involves an agreement made between two or more people to commit a crime, or to engage in illegal activity to achieve even a legal end. Such plans are not required to have been in secret to be defined as criminal conspiracy, or does any party to the conspiracy need to be aware of the entire plan. In most jurisdictions, in order for an activity to rise to the level of criminal conspiracy, at least one party must have engaged in an overt act toward accomplishing the unlawful or wrongful goal.
Theory
noun
A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
The branch of a science or art consisting of its explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis, as opposed to practice.
A set of theorems that constitute a systematic view of a branch of mathematics.

[@jdoe9518]

I would suggest that the basic understanding of the definition of each word individually is not understood by most people.
I would suggest the creation of the term "conspiracy theory" was create by and for the benefit of conspirators.
The levels of "conspiracy theory" you are proposing have no basis in reality. A group of conspirators can be charged based on their action or not.
You have demonstrated you don't understand what qualifies as a conspiracy.
David Icke saying lizard people rule the world is not a conspiracy.
If in fact lizard people rule the world what crime are they to be arrested and charged for?
Interestingly the governments and police are the most complicit conspirators on earth.
What's my evidence? Government creates and endlessly modifes the legal system. Police enforce that endlessly modified legal system. They are paid to do so.

[@dirt420]

yup

[@jdoe9518]

@@dirt420 except my next comment has been deleted.
Point being most claims don't match the definitions

[@IbnRushd-mv3fp]

Who brought this nerd?

[@tictacterminator]

Not all conspiracies are criminal, even if there are consequences for it later.
Firestone and a bunch of other companies conspired to buy out & dismantle public transit in LA and Chicago (and a few other cities) in the 1950s, to further bolster the burgeoning postwar automobile market. At the time if you said anything about it you were denounced as a conspiracy theorist. Turns out, it was true, and there have been court cases to prove it. The case lost in LA but the cases suing the companies that took part in the conspiracy, did win in all the other cities.

[@catman8770]

heads up, the description says 2014 not 2024

[@conspiracist]

Thanks! This is what comes of doing work before the first coffee of the day...

[@9WEAVER9]

I'll reject whatever I want, thank you very much. I have a god given and first amendment right to my delusions....

[@Oo_Shade_oO]

They are called "conspiracies", but they're not lies...
🤨