With the rise of internet groups for conspiracy theorists, it may feel like Americans live in a unique time. But conspiracy theories have been common for decades.
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Articles on Conspiracy theories
Displaying 1 - 20 of 74 articles
Scientists know the bacterium that causes Lyme disease has been out in the wild since long before any biological weapons research could have focused on it. And that's just for starters.
Listen up, conspiracy theorists – it is virtually impossible that there could be alien visitors on Earth.
Three classic examples of the "Mandala Effect" debunked.
Conspiracy theorists claim NASA used the Apollo special camera to stage the moon landings in a studio and then slowed down the footage to make it look like there was less gravity.
They reflect wider concerns about the US – and its leaders.
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In episode 2 of The Conversation's new podcast series, we look at how people reacted to the moon landing – and why some still believe it was a hoax.
Conspiracy theories help sports fans make sense of unexpected events – like when a whole rugby team becomes sick before a world cup final, or the retirement of Michael Jordan from basketball.
Media-savvy, far right-wing activists in the U.S., Hungary and Poland spread white nationalist politics using paranoid Soros conspiracy theories. This new global extremism is coming to Canada.
If you believe a conspiracy theory about a specific minority group, you are more likely to have negative views about other, unrelated groups too.
If you think Americans are suckers for conspiracies theories, you ought to hear some of the theories that are popular in Putin's Russia.
Over a quarter of people believe that humans have psychic abilities.
Some people are habitual conspiracy thinkers – there’s a plan behind everything, and it’s usually malevolent. One scientist set out to understand who is likely to ascribe to these theories.
Ever since the philosopher Karl Popper popularised the expression in the 1950s, conspiracy theories have had a bad reputation. But is it justified?
The reverberations of JFK's assassination can still be felt to this day in the paranoid and racialised politics of the American right
New research shows how 'teleological thinking' means that conspiracists are more likely to also be creationists.
This is the real reason you believe in superstitions.
Conspiracy theories have always existed but the internet fuels them in new ways.
Family members of Sandy Hook victims sued media personality Alex Jones over his claims that the killings were a hoax they participated in. Current law makes their lawsuit unnecessarily hard to prove.
Conspiracy theorists have an à la carte attitude to data and trust, so what can scientists do about it?
Top contributors
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Reader in Applied Cognitive Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Cognitive and Parapsychology, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Chair of Cognitive Psychology, University of Bristol
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Lecturer in Critical Thinking; Curriculum Director, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Organisation Studies, University of Bristol
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Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University
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Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University
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Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University
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Professor of Communication, The Ohio State University
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Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University
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Professor of Social Psychology, University of Kent
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Professor of American Studies, University of Manchester
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Professor and Director of Doherty Epidemiology, University of Melbourne
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Alice Gorman is a Friend of The Conversation.
Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University
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Adjunct Research Associate, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University
