Dentith, Matthew. "Treating Conspiracy Theories Seriously: A Reply to Basham on Dentith". Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, Vol.5, No.9 (2016): 1-5.
This is a response by Matthew Dentith to the review of his earlier 2016 article on conspiracy theories by Lee Basham in his 2016 article entitled 'The Need for Accountable Witnesses'.
- Most academics subscribe to a 'generalist' view of conspiracy theories, asserting that there is something about conspiracy theories in general which means they can be dismissed without referencing the specific circumstances of that theory. This is in contrast to the 'particularist' view that each conspiracy theory must be examined on its own merits (1).
- Dr. Basham makes a core claim that conspiracies are relatively normal and common in everyday personal life, meaning that there is no reason why they should not be equally or more common in political or governmental institutions (2).
- Moreover, this trust of government really exists just because we trust government sources; once we stop giving increased and undeserved legitimacy to government information sources, conspiracy theories are seen as much more likely because the government does not always tell the truth (2).
- Democratic governments might even engage in conspiracies for the public good, maintaining extreme secrecy in affairs because doing so will realize some future benefit. Corporations may engage in conspiracies for similar reasons. Since benevolent governments have a rationale for engaging in conspiracies, they cannot be rejected as totally implausible (3).
- The best way to produce a positive media environment in which conspiracy theorists do not become marginalized and alienated, and where conspiracies are properly investigated by the media, is one in which law enforcement, watchdogs bodies, and the media all take conspiracy theories seriously and investigate the claims they make (4-5).
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