The Public Trust

Abstract

No matter what your personal view on whether belief conspiracy theories can ever be rational, the fact that conspiracies can and do occur here and now — in both the private and public spheres — is challenging for some. For example, if it turns out that pharmaceutical companies are suppressing new and cheaper treatments — in order to increase their profit margins — then that will undermine our trust in the medical establishment. Similarly, if it turns out our government engages in false flag operations — in order to make it easier to pass more draconian laws — then we are going to be suspicious of our lawmakers.