What is a "conspiracy theory?"

a reply to: JUhrman

It's an imperfect method, I'll agree. But it beats the hell out of "I'm gonna say x is possible because I thought of it!" method.

Or my personal favorite, which was mentioned above, "I think this is the answer so now let me work backwards to find things that might support it!"

A conspiracy theory is anything that can not possibly be true. If it was true, it was just a deception or coverup and never really a conspiracy theory in the first place. So conspiracy theories can never be proven, they can be reclassified though if they are true as they were inadvertently said to be a conspiracy.

Much of the stuff on ATS is just misapplied evidence, not really a conspiracy. The Politicians are just deceivers by job description so that is not a conspiracy. Politicians are usually not very polite, I actually do not understand why they call them politicians. I suppose it has something to do with them being specially trained deceivers.

Some of the stuff on Conspiracy sites is conspiracy theories and cannot be true, but without conspiracy theories there can not be a conspiracy theory site, so they are necessary.

a reply to: Shamrock6

I guess that's the crux of my issue. I've seen a few recently do the equivalent of "well it's possible so it's gotta be a conspiracy!" Despite evidence in the wide open to the contrary.

Unfortunately, the conspiracy world tends to attract all the dingbats in the bellfry on top of those of us who possess more than two brain cells to rub together. And of course we all get lumped in with the nutbars. It just goes with the territory. And any attempt to combat that image is pretty much an exercise in futility... the nutbars are the ones that get noticed the most.

It's just the way the ball bounces.

I think the "pull that string" method is pretty good, myself. If you have an idea and pull that string to see where it goes, does it actually go anywhere? If not, it's likely just an idea. But if you start to unravel the ball a little bit more with every tug, then you could well be on to something.

I agree.

Sometimes thinking outside the box and seeing where it goes is exactly what needs to happen in order to look beyond what we're being spoonfed otherwise. That's why a forum such as ATS is a great place for people to share ideas... they toss it out there for other people to chew on, or poke holes in that they may not otherwise see, or perhaps validate the idea with some knowledge/information that they may not have otherwise been aware of.

It's always better to get other people's thoughts on something to help you get a clearer image of things.

One of my favourite quotes from Einstein:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - another words, knowledge has its limitations whereas imagination can take you to places you never would have gone otherwise. "Pulling on that string" as you say.

a reply to: Shamrock6

The TPP is a conspiracy, but I don't know the theory.
The NSA is a conspiracy, but I don't know the theory.
Area 51 is a conspiracy, but I don't know the theory.
Classified 9/11 documents is a conspiracy, but I don't know the theory.

And the leaders keep trying to say their are no conspiracies. Apparently they are unaware of the definition of the word conspiracy.

We are a government of the people, meaning we are the government. As long as everything is a secret, everything is a conspiracy. We do not elect secret keepers and conspirators, or at least we are not supposed to. Some might call this treason. I would.

Treason will be my theory.