A conspiracy theory is simply a hypothesis or theory that explains or predicts phenomena or events by assuming the existence of some conspiracy, secret plan, or secrecy.
Conspiracy theories can be both true and false, and sometimes some such theories have even turned out to be completely true.
In Western ideology, conspiracy theories the West itself propagates are not called conspiracy theories.
The Western mainstream media now publishes conspiracy theories about Russia on a daily basis.
It is a mistake to rule out a conspiracy theory simply because it is a conspiracy theory (Dentith).
It is also a mistake to firmly believe any conspiracy theory without solid reasons.
The psychological point is that many people believe certain conspiracy theories with conviction — even if these theories have already been refuted. Furthermore, thoughts of someone’s possible secret plans cause anxiety and paranoid states of mind in them.
The European Union and several member states (e.g., the Netherlands) have even established in their legislation that conspiracy theories represent a security threat.
However, they themselves spread conspiracy theories every single day — at the governmental level.
The goal of the West is to convince its population to believe such conspiracy theories about Russia and China, which are obviously false or at least unproven.
And the fact that unwise people still believe in a dubious theory does not mean that such a theory should not be used as a rational working hypothesis. Any hypothesis with a non-negligible prior probability must belong in the decision-theoretic table.
The way the term “conspiracy theory” is manipulated — and even in the scientific works of many Western philosophers (starting with Popper) — is simply part of Western public opinion management and brainwashing.
2 + 2 = 4, but only if we need so.
Of course, Russia also spreads conspiracy theories. However, I have not noticed that Russia manipulates the expression “conspiracy theory” in its propaganda in the way that the USA and, following its example, Europe do.
Imagine that some unknown dangerous virus starts to spread, and based on some facts, you come up with a hypothesis that this virus escaped from a laboratory in the United States. — Now, it would be necessary to check this hypothesis. Nevertheless, the US does not allow international experts into this laboratory and declares that this hypothesis is a “conspiracy theory”. — But when did this hypothesis turn into a conspiracy theory, and who is to blame for it? It was not the person who proposed the hypothesis who classified the data and thus made public testing of the hypothesis impossible.
If they do not like a conspiracy theory, they say with emphasis and contemptuous intonation:
“It is a conspiracy theory!”
Now imagine that if they do not like a theory, then they say with emphasis and contemptuous intonation:
“It is a theory!”
Wait a minute. That time is not so far away.