Why DU has a "Creative Speculation" forum

[OnyxCollie]

10. If conspiracies don't exist, why are there laws prohibiting them?

Sunstein and Vermeule (2008) describe “an effort to explain some event or practice by
reference to the machinations of powerful people, who have managed to conceal their role” (p. 4)
as a conspiracy theory, a pejorative term which denotes a faulty epistemology, rumors, and
speculation. Furthermore, it is asserted that such analysis overestimates the ability of government
bureaucracies to carry out “sophisticated and secret” (p. 6) plans in an open society. Alternately,
Parenti (2010) quoting Karp (1973) suggested that:

When it can be established that when a number of political acts work in concert to
produce a certain result, the presumption is strong that the actors were aiming at the result
in question. When it can be shown that the actors have an interest in producing these
results, the presumptions become a fair certainty- no conspiracy theory is needed.

Sunstein and Vermeule (2008) assume a well-intentioned government may decide to
defuse conspiracy theories “if and only if social welfare is improved by doing so” (p. 15), yet
they concede that governments themselves may be purveyors of conspiracy theories. Parenti
(1993) suggested the beneficiaries of said social welfare may be an entire class interest.
Following this reasoning, conspiracy theories may be eliminated to prevent exposure of
particular factions, or they may be furnished to enable a certain objective. According to Parenti
(2010), the term conspiracy theory can be used to dismiss: “(1) the idea of a conscious design by
policy makers; (2) a hidden, but knowing intent; (3) a secret plan; (4) a secret interest.”