Conspiracy Theory and the Silliness of Reductionism

The term ‘conspiracy theory’ is a surprisingly emotive one. It engenders a strong reaction in people and, like most unknowables, opinion has become polarised. Human society seems to need to do that; it makes life simpler, I suppose. It attempts to force us to choose between one of two categories: either you’re a conspiracy theorist and believe everything going, however outlandish it might be, or you’re not a conspiracy theorist and believe that everything is above board and the whole truth is there on the surface for everybody to see. This is narrow minded reductionism, and amounts to the same thing as a Christian Fundamentalist telling you that unless you worship their version of God in the way they prescribe, you must be a follower of Satan and are on a certain track to hell fire and damnation.

It is true that some conspiracy theorists do believe everything going, and it has to be admitted that such a position is clearly neurotic. But the other extreme is just as farcical. You only have to be a modest student of history to see the truth in the old dictum that ‘Power tends to corrupt; absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.’ Human beings are obsessed with wealth and power, and thousands of years of experience have shown that they will do anything – absolutely anything – to gain and protect those advantages. Why should today’s people in power be any different? Because we have a democratic political system in which the Richard Nixons can be brought to account for their misdemeanours? No. All that means is that they have to be a bit more careful. And is it so ridiculous to believe that the system might be so geared as to protect itself by keeping the worst excesses hidden? I don’t think it is.

Of course there are conspiracies. Of course the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is not there on the surface in plain sight. To believe otherwise is naïve. Of course there are questions attaching to Kennedy’s assassination, the moon landings, the 9/11 attacks et al, that sometimes make the official view seem unsustainable. The problem is this: if there are conspiracies going on they will be deeply hidden, and the chances of getting to the truth are negligible. All we can do is approach the theories with an open mind, accepting that we’re never going to know the whole truth and so there’s no point in worrying about it.