Truth Seekers
A "conspiracy theorist" is a truth-seeker, whether or not they find the truth.
Wow, what a loaded term that is today! So many people don't even care about what a "conspiracy theorist" thinks or says, they've been that turned-off to someone that simply wants the truth. They've already decided what these people are: extreme, ignorant, dangerous, misguided, maybe even insane. Definitely nothing useful, or good. How is it that this is where we find ourselves regarding people who simply want to know the truth? Let's put aside the absurd notion that these people have mental issues or are just seeking attention or just need to do something crazy to find some sense of adventure and purpose with their life. While those things might be the case for some, or even many, that does not discount the pursuit of truth. It's important to understand that these people are potentially what keep society from falling into complete and total darkness, For example, a good journalist must be willing to potentially be labelled a "conspiracy theorist" to simply follow the facts wherever they may lead. With that said, let's move forward.
Those who dig into narratives and "truths" that they do not find as satisfactory in their explanatory power should not be shunned or ignored. They should be celebrated. Why is it that one person can be perfectly fine with an explanation, but another person is not? Sure, sometimes they're looking for a "deeper truth" that just doesn't exist. But I guarantee you that's not always the case, and we should be cautious to confer judgement in this area too hastily, simply because the truth is too important. Like in the example I give below with Ignaz Semmelweis, what if you believe a lie, and you act on that lie along with many other people? That lie is likely to produce a very large and damaging effect.
So why have truth-seekers received such a strong negative reaction from a large amount of otherwise good people, people who I assume also want the truth? There are two main reasons I believe this occurs:
1) People conflate the inability to know something 100% with the idea that it's useless or even potentially dangerous. They want to be told by experts and authorities what's true before they're willing to believe something. This is a major lesson taught in the American public education system - certified experts teach you what you need to know, get outside of that realm, and you're likely to come across all varieties of liars and information that can't be trusted. Ultimately, the idea is that you, as an average person, can't determine truth for yourself. Sadly, many believe this line of thinking, even though most of the greatest minds in history failed formal schooling or ignored the standard methods whereby "expertship" must be attained.
2) Messaging from the media virtually nonstop says that "conspiracy theorists" are nuts and wacky, all the while rarely addressing actual topics or arguments. Frequently they will cherry-pick something that's easy for the audience to see as absurd, but they don't give all the pertinent information. It's undeniable that these media outlets often lie outright, or omit critical truths, but people are generally too lazy to question them. Usually these media organizations serve to reinforce a person's preconceived notions and bias about a given topic, so convincing them that someone they disagree with about X topic -- especially when that topic delves into hidden motives and sinister intentions -- is a liar is very easy...you simply slap the "conspiracy theorist" label on them, and you've got yourself a word that signals the exact opposite of what it actually means. The truth seeker is now a "liar".
Let's be clear about one thing off the bat: the truth does not exist simply because somebody told you what's true. No expert, no matter how smart or qualified, has the power to determine truth by fiat. They should always be questioned and verified. Obviously if they've become an expert in something, they have had to investigate, to dig, to spend time uncovering the various intricacies of the subject, there has to be a logical flow of the pieces involved, and while the end result of the research might seem paradoxical at times, for the expert to be validated in each bit of information given, their claims, their evidence and data have to corroborate their claims on the deepest, most fundamental levels.
Science & the Search for Truth
This naturally leads us to the topic of science. Science is a concept virtually sacred to our modern western world, because it aims to find the truth about any and all aspects of reality. It is definitely a noble endeavor. A scientist is a truth seeker at the core. A scientist develops a hypothesis based on all of the available evidence and data, then they set about to test it, to disprove it, to observe and analyze what's going on. Whatever the outcome, the truth will come out BECAUSE of the scrutiny, the testing, the deliberate thought and energy being put into digging and working hard to understand what's going on. It's key to note that without the theorist, you never have a scientist, and you'll never arrive at the fact of the matter, that's how science works.
Of course, we can have bad scientists that don't do the appropriate work and verify their results, or they make up data to claim a discovery where there's nothing to discover. Lies and fraud and laziness undoubtedly taint the scientific endeavor. This is true for anything, including truth seekers who are labelled "conspiracy theorists". Obviously we shouldn't give up on science simply because some people aren't as good at practicing it than others. We call out frauds and liars and we carry on, we learn from our mistakes, and the practice of science is strengthened.
It is instructive to ask the question: Why might a good scientist be hated? Or worse, why might they be silenced? Or jailed? Or even worse yet: murdered? These questions are very important, we know these things happen. Some of the most important and earth-shattering discoveries in history were made by scientists who were absolutely despised by the so-called experts of their day. This cannot be overemphasized in its importance. Those who assumed to guard the truth, and were seen as guardians of truth, were the exact people that sought to suppress the truth. If you think something about humans has fundamentally changed recently so that we're now immune to this, then you should probably just stop reading.
Detectives are Conspiracy Theorists
Sherlock Holmes is a popular example of a conspiracy theorist. There's a reason why we're attracted to his character, not only does he seek to find the mystery of the truth through theory and testing, but also because he's indomitable in his search for the truth. That mode of existence is right, and we all know it when we participate in it by watching and reading the stories. But we often don't approach our own reality that way. Unfortunately, we leave it to the authorities and the experts to tell us what happened, there are other detectives out there doing the work for us. It's sad, but even if their explanations don't make sense, or the suggested solutions go against what we know in our gut to be good and true, we often don't even ask basic questions. Have we lost the ability to think for ourselves? In many ways, I think we have.
Fortunately the truth does not care about what you believe, reality does not bend to your opinions, however well-formed or sensible they may seem to be at the time. We humans are creatures that will protect vehemently the ideas that allow us to stay comfortable, protect our ego, or validate the beliefs that seem to give us a sense of purpose and meaning within this life, where the unknown is ever-present and often terrifying.
Making Truth-Seekers Seem Extreme
It's very important that the term "conspiracy theorist" be seen as a pejorative for those who wish to deceive, because the social pressure to conform often outweighs someone's desire to find the truth. And the larger the lie, the more courage that's required to tackle it. It takes work, it's frequently not self-evident.
The masses have been trained to turn away from any person labelled "conspiracy theorist", and therefore the ideas associated with them. This works well for those who otherwise have a good capacity to reason. It's a signal to the herd: danger, this person will lead you astray, entertaining their ideas will also label you, your social status is at risk. People who use "conspiracy theorist" to discredit people are manipulative and cowardly, ignore them, you're capable of uncovering and understanding reality for yourself.
All throughout history we see the outcast often used as a scapegoat, they are on the extreme fringes of society and must not mingle with the herd, lest they be corrupted. Many cultures even ritualized this dynamic, it was extremely important that people stay in their boxes when it came to the system of control, otherwise the existing "order" set up by those ruling may quickly be seen for what it is: a sham, a house of cards, a complete and utter lie.
If you're skeptical of the need for "conspiracy theorists", then ask "who benefits from people not scrutinizing lies or inconsistent information?"
The idea is that a "conspiracy theorist" is talking about ridiculous and foolish and ignorant ideas, and likely dangerous if believed. They are said to deal in unknowables, unprovables, and theoreticals. The goal is to prevent you from thinking through the facts and information for yourself. Honest scrutiny of a lie will eventually lead to the truth. Thus some "fact checkers" will provide you with the pertinent information to "debunk" these truth seekers. Thinking for yourself is not necessary, they've protected you from yourself.
The truth is not always obvious, and often the lie can convincingly cover up the truth because there are things you may not understand or know. Many people have a hard time thinking that something could be a planned and deliberate conspiracy simply because it's unlikely or difficult to carry out without someone spilling the beans. But there are numerous examples of large-scale conspiracies that were kept under wraps for decades. It's not only possible in theory, it's happened in reality. Arrogant, ruthless, and evil people seek to hide their corrupt actions from the light of truth, they will go to great lengths to do this. Not only are large-scale conspiracies possible, but it would be odd for a conspiracy NOT to exist where dishonest people want to gain power, control, influence, wealth, etc.
Ignaz Semmelweis
A simple historical example provides an interesting window into the reality, and profound humanness, of conspiracy. We can look at Ignaz Semmelweis, the Hungarian physician and scientist that spoke what we now know to be a simple truth: disinfecting one's hands prior to invasive operations massively reduces the likelihood of infection, and therefore mortality related to certain infectious diseases was drastically reduced. With the case of Semmelweis, it was dealing with mothers in labor. He showed that mortality with mothers after giving birth had dropped drastically due to implementing basic hand-washing hygiene. When he announced his findings, the medical community around him was furious that they were implicated in causing such easily-preventable death and misery due to puerperal fever. All he did was seek the truth of the matter, he was honest and simply wanted to figure out how to prevent these mothers from dying. He held to his position against the arrogant medical establishment of his day and they ended up tricking him into an asylum, where he died shortly afterwards of a head injury he received from the guards.
Sometimes, we think we're immune from this sort of mindset today. That is a very arrogant, and ignorant, position to take. We must be open to all possibilities that might follow from the evidence. Also, it's OK to admit that you don't know. There's conflicting evidence and you're still looking into it.
There is an important lesson in the case of Semmelweis, in addition to the obvious (hopefully it's obvious that we should not assume or label those who present opinions that go against the commonly held beliefs, or "truths", of the day). That lesson is that average people, such as normal doctors in Semmelweis' day - when their assumed beliefs and views are challenged - are willing to go to any length to silence someone who exposes their errors, flaws, or lies.
If average people are willing to go to great lengths to attack a person for something we now see as obvious and probably absurd, it's easy to see how a conspiracy about something on the level of nations, governments, elites, and billionaires would indeed be extremely likely.
Think for Yourself
No, it's not your job to solve all the world's conspiracies and uncover every one of them that have ever occurred. But it is your job to be thorough and honest when you come to a conclusion about something important, especially if you're going to be vocal about it or dismiss or attack others for their approach or conclusions. And please, if you claim to care about science, don't pretend to use a scientific approach when you don't.
