What Makes a Conspiracy Theory?

What is a Conspiracy?

There are three elements that make an action a conspiracy:

• Joint action — the action involves more than one person.
• Secrecy — the action is the result of decisions made without the knowledge of those whom it affects.
• Independence from institutions — the action must be made outside of networks of social rules.

1: Joint Action

This is obvious — you can’t have a conspiracy involving just one person.

2: Secrecy

The second element, secrecy, is frequently encountered in every non-democratic social institution, but by itself doesn’t imply conspiracy. Those who travel on trains or watch television typically have no say in the provision of train services or in which programmes are made. The decisions in these cases and many others are made in secret, and are very often made in the interests of one group and against the interests of another. It’s sometimes easy to claim conspiracy simply on the grounds of secrecy and interest, but defining it this way is far too broad to be of use.

3: Institutions

The essential element in a useful definition of a conspiracy is that the action takes place outside the normal workings of a social institution. If the action follows the rules of a social institution, it should be explained as the result of those rules rather than as a conspiracy.