Did you know that the Earth is flat? That the world is run by a shadowy cabal of reptilian beings who wear human disguises to avoid detection? That Finland doesn’t really exist, but aliens (who are kept hidden by the government) do? That powerful navies across the globe trained dolphins to act as weapons of war? Welcome to the world of conspiracy theories—where members of the powerful elite fight for control of your mind, your money, and even your health.
If you’re nervous about entering this world of conspiracies alone, don’t worry. I’ll be here to walk you through it, every step of the way. As a professional science writer, I’ve been hosting and producing the weekly podcast Skeptoid® (https://skeptoid.com) for more than a decade, revealing the true science and real history behind conspiracy theories. My job has been to do the research and separate the fact from the fiction. I’ve found the most success by examining each conspiratorial belief purely upon its actual merits and how well it fits with the proven historical record.
So here in Conspiracies Declassified we’ll take a look at fifty of the most notorious (and well-known) conspiracy theories of all time. To qualify for inclusion in this book, each must satisfy two criteria:
1. They must be specific enough to be falsifiable. Too often, proposed conspiracy theories are so uselessly vague that they are always going to be true. The government is up to something secret. Well, of course they are, nobody doubts that. There are still unknown details about Lee Harvey Oswald. Of course there are, probably unimportant ones that weren’t published. Claims such as these are always going to be true. They don’t prove you’ve uncovered a conspiracy theory.
2. They must be known by the conspiracy theorist before being revealed by the media or law enforcement. Many times, conspiracy theorists will look back on historical conspiracies and claim they are examples of conspiracy theories proven true. But in so many cases, the story never existed as a conspiracy theory; history shows that it remained unknown and unsuspected until it was revealed to the world by investigators or whistle-blowers.
For each entry that meets these criteria, you’ll learn the who, what, when, where, and why of the theory; you’ll discover how each theory was formed, why it exists, and the historical or sociological context that allowed it to thrive; and you’ll see each and every theory either debunked or proven.
Debunked or proven? Yes, it’s true that most of the conspiracy theories in this book, and most conspiracy theories in general, are just that: theories. This is what you’ll see when we investigate various conspiracies having to do with suspicious deaths, government oppression, suppressed science, and more throughout the book. But the conspiracy theories that we’ll investigate in the final section of the book? Well, some of these have elements of truth that are tough to deny. And, as frightening as it may be to examine these theories, it’s worth it to know just what those in power are really up to.
So lock your doors, make sure your phone’s not tapped, and let’s take a look at these conspiracy theories that are now declassified.