Library Catalog
On the Shelf at CCBC Libraries
Off the Edge by
Since 2015, there has been a spectacular boom in a nearly two-hundred-year-old delusion - the idea that we all live on a flat plane, under a solid dome, ringed by an impossible wall of ice. It is the ultimate in conspiracy theories, a wholesale rejection of everything we know to be true about the world in which we live. Where did this idea come from? Weill draws a straight line from today's conspiratorial moment back to the early days of Flat Earth theory in the 1830s, showing the human impulses behind divergences in belief. Faced with a complicated world out of our individual control, we naturally seek patterns to explain the inexplicable. The only difference between then and now? Social media. And, powered by Facebook and YouTube algorithms, the Flat Earth movement is growing. At once a definitive history of the movement and a readable look at its expansive, absurd, and dangerous present, Off the Edge introduces us to a cast of larger-than-life characters, from 19th-century grifters to 20th-century small-town tyrants to the provocateurs of Alex Jones's early-aughts internet, whose rancour sowed the early seeds of our modern division. We accompany Weill to Flat Earther conferences, where we meet moms on vacation, determined creationists, scammy YouTube celebrities and their victims, neo-Nazi rappers, and even a man determined to fly into space in a homemade rocket-powered balloon - whose tragic death proves as senseless and absurd as the theory he set out to prove. Incisive and clear-eyed, Off the Edge tells a powerful story about belief, exploring how we arrived at this moment of polarised realities and explaining what needs to happen so that we might all return to the same spinning globe.
Call Number: HV6275 .W45 2022
Modern Conspiracies in America by
"... an excellent guide to logic and credibility for all who are curious about this complex and urgent subject." Booklist Starred ReviewAmerica is awash with alleged conspiracies. It seems like today, no one with a cell phone escapes the vortex of skepticism, cynicism, paranoia, and fear that occupy our thoughts almost constantly. Seeking out valid answers in this cacophony can be confusing and deeply frustrating. In this book, historian Michael D. Gambone provides case studies of popular conspiracy theories in America from the past 100 years, from Protocol of the Elders of Zion to #stopthesteal. He offers an approach based on basic logic and historical case studies, not designed to win arguments, but to help readers separate truth from the avalanche of nonsense descending on us every day. In each case, Gambone outlines the conspiracy claim, provides historical context for the conspiracy, presents evidence of the conspiracy claim, and analyzes the claim, context, and evidence.Modern Conspiracies in American History will appeal to a broad audience of readers interested in American history and those seeking to become better informed consumers of news in an era when social media spreads misinformation widely and quickly.
Call Number: E741 .G35 2022
Conspiracies of Conspiracies by
It's tempting to think that we live in an unprecedentedly fertile age for conspiracy theories, with seemingly each churn of the news cycle bringing fresh manifestations of large-scale paranoia. But the sad fact is that these narratives of suspicion--and the delusional psychologies that fuel them--have been a constant presence in American life for nearly as long as there's been an America. In this sweeping book, Thomas Milan Konda traces the country's obsession with conspiratorial thought from the early days of the republic to our own anxious moment. Conspiracies of Conspiracies details centuries of sinister speculations--from antisemitism and anti-Catholicism to UFOs and reptilian humanoids--and their often incendiary outcomes. Rather than simply rehashing the surface eccentricities of such theories, Konda draws from his unprecedented assemblage of conspiratorial writing to crack open the mindsets that lead people toward these self-sealing worlds of denial. What is distinctively American about these theories, he argues, is not simply our country's homegrown obsession with them but their ongoing prevalence and virulence. Konda proves that conspiracy theories are no harmless sideshow. They are instead the dark and secret heart of American political history--one that is poisoning the bloodstream of an increasingly sick body politic.
Call Number: AZ999 .K65 2019
Conspiracy Theories by
Narratives based on conspiratorial and paranoid thinking have become increasingly prominent throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. From the prosaic to the outlandish, conspiracy theories involve aliens and Nazis, underground bases and mind control technology. They range from sinister tales of malevolent reptilian beings infiltrating our government to fears of the New World Order rounding up patriotic Americans and putting them into internment camps. These stories and their underlying concerns have a long history in the U.S. and have often been bolstered by revelations of real conspiracies and cover-ups by private and public entities. This book examines conspiracy theories and the narratives constructed by those who believe and propagate them, providing a unique view of U.S. history and highlighting fears both founded and unfounded.
Call Number: HV6275 .G85 2016
Online Articles
- It's only fake-believe: how to deal with a conspiracy theorist
The Guardian, November 29, 2020 - An AI tool can distinguish between a conspiracy theory and a true conspiracy – it comes down to how easily the story falls apart
The Conversation, November 13, 2020 - Virus-fueled conspiracy theories take aim at hospitals
ABC News, April 17, 2020 - Are conspiracy theories on the rise in the US?
The Conversation, September 18, 2019
conspiracy theory
nounDefinition of conspiracy theory
: a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators
Online Article Archives
- Conspiracy Theories
from The New Yorker - Complete List - Conspiracy Theories
from Time - Conspiracy Theories
from the Huffington Post
QAnon
- The Librarian War Against QAnonAtlantic, February 18, 2021
- QAnon Is Two Different People, Shows Machine Learning Analysis from OrphAnalytics
Cision, December 15, 2020 - What is the QAnon conspiracy theory?
CBS News, November 24, 2020 - 5 facts about the QAnon conspiracy theories
Pew Research Center, November 16, 2020 - The Men Behind QAnon
ABC News, September 22, 2020 - QAnon: What is it and where did it come from?
BBC, August 20, 2020 - The Prophecies of Q American conspiracy theories are entering a dangerous new phase.The Atlantic, May 14, 2020
Online From CCBC Libraries
The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories by
Does the CIA covertly utilize ""mind control"" drugs and techniques? Are satanic messages subliminally hidden in popular music? Were Freemasons behind London's Jack the Ripper murders? Does your vote really count or is the U.S. president chosen by secretive societies such as the Bilderberg Group and the Illuminati? In an objective, fact-based manner, ""The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories"" thoroughly documents and explores these and other provocative questions. This intriguing reference provides more than 500 detailed entries that define the major conspiracies, both proven and unproven, throughout history. From the ""inheritance powder"" of the Medicis to the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, this encyclopedia investigates the broad history of conspiracies and their impact on global affairs and everyday life. Entries include biographies, specific events, profiles of groups, and thumbnail histories of notorious nations.
Publication Date: 2005
Modern Conspiracy by
While conspiracy theory is often characterized in terms of the collapse of objectivity and Enlightenment reason, Modern Conspiracy traces the important role of conspiracy in the formation of the modern world: the scientific revolution, social contract theory, political sovereignty, religious paranoia and mass communication media. Rather than seeing the imminent death of Enlightenment reason and a regression to a new Dark Age in conspiratorial thinking, Modern Conspiracy suggests that many characteristic features of conspiracies tap very deeply into the history of the Enlightenment: its vociferous critique of established authorities and a conception of political sovereignty fuelled by fear of counter-plots, for example. Perhaps, ultimately, conspiracy theory affords us a renewed opportunity to reflect on our very relationship to the truth itself.
Publication Date: 2014
Databases
- ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
Articles on any subject. This is a good place to start.
- SIRS Issues Researcher This link opens in a new window
Viewpoint essays, topic essays, and news and magazine articles on controversial issues. Browse for topics or search.
Podcasts
- Conspiracy Theories The truth is rarely the best story. And when it’s not the only story, the truth deserves another look. Every Wednesday, we tell the complicated stories behind the world’s most controversial events and possible cover-ups. Conspiracy? Maybe. Coincidence? Maybe. Complicated? Absolutely. Conspiracy Theories is part of the Parcast Network and is a Cutler Media Production.
