Conspiracy Theory Research Paper

On September 11, 2001, 19 people hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against their targets.. Two of the planes crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters. (“9/11 attacks”2010). The conspiracy theories started just days after the September 11, 2001 attack. The conspiracies were easy to spread fast when using the internet and they became more and more elaborate as time went on. The most popular 9/11 conspiracy theory is that 9/11 was orchestrated by the American government.

Brian Keeley’s short essay, “Of Conspiracy Theories” discusses conspiracy theories and their value in an epistemological context. Keeley defines a conspiracy theory as “a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons-the conspirators-acting in secret (Keeley 1999, pg. 116).” Keeley seeks to answer the question of why conspiracy theories are unwarranted. His interest in the warrant of conspiracy theories focuses on ¬the unfalsifiability of conspiracy theories and how conspiracy theories are founded upon an extraordinarily large amount of skepticism. In section III, Keely discusses what a conspiracy theory is, and contends that there is no grounds for

The Internet has played a large role in my interest in conspiracy theories. Although I definitely do not believe all of them, they are fun to look into and are good tools for procrastination. Falling deeper into the hole that is Wikipedia, I spent a large amount of my free time “researching” them. It got to the point where I had to force myself to actually work on homework instead. However, I am not one of those crazy conspiracy theorists; I am only interested in ones that seem legit. All interesting conspiracy theories have similar qualities. A majority of them involve the government or celebrities. And depending on the theory, they are believable.

Maggie Koerth Baker’s piece titled Why rational people buy into conspiracy theories represents the reasons why rational people believe in conspiracy theories. Throughout the article Baker tries to explain the reasons behind the belief of conspiracy theories supported by research and evidence. This paper will review Baker’s article as well as her main arguments, will evaluate the quality of Baker’s writing and focus on any areas of weakness within the article.

On September 11, 2001 the World Trade Center buildings one and two were attacked. However, who we were attacked by and even if we were attacked is a hard decision to make. There have been many different claims about how everything on that fateful day happened. There are facts that we know are true, though; Flight 11 flew into the North Tower at eight forty- six in the morning. Soon after, Flight 175 attacked the South Tower. By the end of the day, both towers had collapsed and other hijacked flights had caused damage. The amount of lives lost on September 11 was substantial; 2,749 people from eighty-three different countries died from the attacks (Facts about the attacks…, n.d.). All in all, America was changed forever.

Throughout history, people have attempted to come up with explanations to make sense of events which could not be comprehend, such explanations are commonly known as conspiracy theories. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the official definition of conspiracy theory  is “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.” These theories can range from minor events, to large scale terrorist attacks. A few well known theories include, Bill Clinton caused 9/11, the Earth is flat, and a reptilian race is planning to take over the Earth. Conspiracy theories can inflict various amount of damage, but it dependent on the conspiracy theory context. (Mckay).  In an

The assassination of John F. Kennedy is one of the most controversial and debated topics in American History. JFK was one of the most beloved presidents of our time. One article of his death wrote, "The day the country cried". Unlike previous presidential assassinations, the JFK assassination is one that is filled the conspiracy theories. Such theories include a Government cover-up, Mafia influence and Cuban President Fidel Castro. The idea of a lone mind, Lee Harvey Oswald, plotting to kill President Kennedy is too simple. In the eyes of scholars there is simply no way that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Even with the growing number of bogus theories, there are a number of logical theories that do hold water. In this paper I will discuss

Once you believe in a conspiracy it is easy to believe in the possibility of other conspiracies even if the other conspiracies are improbable and contradictory. Conspiracy theory is defined as “a proposed plot by powerful people or organizations working together in secret to accomplish some (usually sinister) goal.” Conspiracy theorists’ skepticism of official narratives may be so intense that many alternative theories are simultaneously endorsed in spite of many contradictions between them.

A conspiracy theory, in it’s purest form, describes a hypothesis concerning an incident in which more than one person is involved. Since 1963 more Americans have believed in a conspiracy against Kennedy than have believed in a single assassin working alone (Majority in U.S. Still Believe JFK Killed in a Conspiracy). After years of investigation, evidence continues to prove the majority of Americans wrong. There was only

I think that Oswald was part of a bigger conspiracy because no one believes that it was only Oswald that killed JFK because how can you fire a sniper four times in a row. The gun will move each time the gun is fired. But I don’t think it was Oswald because after you just killed someone how can you just be eating lunch as calmly wouldn’t he feel guilty for killing a man like JFK. I think that Oswald didn’t kill him because if he killed someone wouldn’t he try to get away. Honestly it had to more than him or it had to be another large conspiracy and he was apart of it. When he was arrested and was taken to the court I think that the guy that killed was part of the conspiracy with Oswald but he killed so that Oswald wouldn’t tell anyone about

Conspiracy theories have caused people to question everything the government tells them for hundreds of years. A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy without warrant. Conspiracy theories generally involve an illegal or harmful act carried out by the government or other powerful actors.The Moon landing is still one of the biggest conspiracy theories in the world. After forty-eight years it is still being debated and discussed in many laboratories, and classrooms across the globe.On July 20, 1969, two American astronauts by the name of Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin allegedly, landed safely on the moon. The entire world was shocked, especially the Soviet Union. On that day many people were

To most a fairy tale, to some an interesting topic of discussion, however, to a small population, 5 % to be exact, Government conspiracy does exist. How, you might ask, do I intend to prove that indeed government conspiracy is real? I do not intend to prove it. In fact I only intend to inform you of its ever growing ploy of world domination, capitalism and control and open your mind to the idea that government conspiracy is out there. Throughout history as it is known to repeat itself, I will show facts that support this “theory” and dismiss the legendary lies we have been taught to believe through a system known as memetics.

Conspiracy theories have been around since the beginning of time. When NASA sent the first landed on the moon, there are people who believed that NASA faked the moon landings. Men, such as Bill Kaysing, the Flat Earth Society, and Davie Groves, and Bart Sibrel, have written books, delivered lectures, and made videos about why they believed NASA faked the moon landings. Based on their observations which include no stars in their pictures, NASA's drive to beat the Russians to the moon, and a way to distract people from the Vietnam war, the group believes that the moon landings were faked.

The study shows that the number of students who enroll in college is so large that college degree become meaningless because everyone has it. Also, graduated from college does not provide the students any benefit to get a good job and basically waste years. In some way, invest the money which is about to pay the tuition is better than pay the tuition and go to college.

The definition of a conspiracy theory, according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is, “a secret plot that is largely unknown to the general public” (Webster 84). Dan Brown focuses on an unusual conspiracy in his novel, The Da Vinci Code. The religious conspiracy theories suggested in this novel discuss secrets of epic proportions that have the potential to shatter the foundations of Christianity. “Behold the greatest cover-up in human history!” (270). Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code proves everybody loves a conspiracy.