On the Character of Conspiracy

A Moral-Cognitive Theory of Power

How deep does the rabbit hole go?

This seems to be the seminal question of our time. That conspiracies exist is self-evident. In the immortal words of Col. Gathers, “By the time God crapped out the third caveman a conspiracy was launched against one of them!” It is part of man’s nature to form groups, to create exclusive collectives, and to organize plans for mutual benefit. While it might be comforting to believe otherwise, there is no fine line demarking this quotidian form of socializing from more ominous confederacies. Criminals and businesses alike require oaths of loyalty and non-disclosure, and both are capable of unethical acts. For the victim of said acts, it matters little whether they were performed within or without of the aegis of the law; no more than it matters to the soldier whether he dies during a police action or a declared war.

The term ‘Conspiracy Theory’ is nothing but a comforting bulwark designed to avoid important questions. Widely believed to have been seeded into the public consciousness by the CIA following the Warren Commission as part of Operation Mockingbird, the term implies that there are limits to the conspiring which powerful organizations will engage in, and that to suppose otherwise is madness. Intelligence agents may lie, cheat, and steal to achieve their ends – but these ends are ultimately for good. Police might go undercover, traffic drugs, and lie during the interrogation – but only to bring the guilty to justice. Businesses might cut corners, exaggerate the benefits, and use psychologically manipulative tactics to sell their products – but at the end of the day their products will still offer the benefit they claim.

To assert that conspiracy theories are a priori false is tantamount to asserting that there is honour amongst thieves. That there are certain lines which nobody but a lone maniac would cross. That large organizations filter out the psychopaths, and prevent them from rising to the top. That somehow – even though all and sundry are demanding that nobody be held to an objective moral standard, while late-stage capitalism focuses with perfect myopia upon the bottom line – that somehow, in spite of all of this, we can trust our institutions to hold themselves in check.

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