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Comment by wtknn | Hacker News Reader

>This will only inflame conspiracy theory minded people to believe there is a vast conspiracy by the powerful to protect themselves.

How is that a conspiracy?

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'Conspiracy' is not synonymous with 'untrue'. I'd advise everyone in the comments to keep that in mind, and state things unambiguously, to avoid arguing past each-other.

I've been curious why "conspiracy theory" is used exclusively as a pejorative. Turns out that Wikipedia defines it as such:

> A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful actors, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.

But who gets to define what is more probable? Why not just "when there is no proof (yet)"? But I guess that battle and term are lost.

Which raises the question - how do you describe an explanation that justifiably (or at least plausibly) relies on conspiracy?

You generally refer to named actors as 'conspiring together'. The definition of a 'conspiracy theory' is almost dependant on the actors being unknown or unconfirmed, and thus isn't a provable act of conspiracy versus an implausible crazyness.

Well people in that sphere were already predicting he’d “commit” suicide to avoid getting powerful people ensnared.

What I mean is that I don't think that's a conspiracy, it's reasonable to think that in the world elites they look after each other

That’s the very definition of conspiracy:

“a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.”

If you believe that when the elite "look after each other" they abuse their power in illegal and unethical ways, then technically you're a "conspiracy theorist" along with the vast majority of the population.

Edit: And the story has been removed from the HN front page, despite being one of the most popular...

Well, it just happened.

That’s literally “conspiring together”. That’s all conspiracy means. It means some occurrence wasn’t just a fluke action of luck or even of just one guy. It was a group of people “conspiring” together. Think JFK. Did a group conspire? Or was it just Oswald?

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