Origin of Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy Theories and their Suspicions

Conspiracy theories are explanations for circumstances or occurrences that may evoke some sort of suspicion, particularly in the case of a criminal occurrence (Uscinski, and Joseph 23-26).

Prophesied Murder in Moby Dick

Patrick JMT attempts to justify the conspiracy theory surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder, which he says was prophesied in Herman Melville’s book Moby Dick, published in 1851 during the American Renaissance. The video presents conspiracy theories in such a way that it only tells one side of the story and wants us to accept it as fact.

The Ramsey Theory

The Ramsey Theory, for example, seems to be another conspiracy theory discussed in the lesson. The theory appears to prove the fact there is no random or complete disorder of items or people because, in all randomized or disordered objects, there still can exist some form of order (TED-Ed n.p.). The lesson gives an example of stars that seem to be many and disorderly, but on a closer look at them, it is possible to see some structures evolving out of the disorderly arrangement. The argument in the video that it might be possible to tell that two individuals in London have the same number of hair is a bit misleading given the situation.

Controversial Arguments of Conspiracy Theories

Some arguments on conspiracy theories ignore the mathematical or scientific proof of facts and purport to come up with their own way of proving their notions. Such is the case in the video where the Ramsey Theory ignores scientific and mathematical proof to come up with its own formula for calculating or estimating the number of combinations in a given group of configurations (TED-Ed n.p.). The use of the arrangement of stars to form quadrilateral shapes and other shapes like animals or creatures to prove Ramsey Theory does not hold water because it does not show any verifiable proof that the combinations are responsible for the formation of such shapes. The issue is that it would as well be what the eye can see, and maybe those images get exaggerated as they reach the eye of the observer.

The Perception of Hidden Meanings

Furthermore, in the video, Patrick JMT explains the fact that some texts might be concealing a prophecy of a kind. For example, if an individual picks a favorite book and arranges the letters in a grid, the findings might interest him or her. This means that people might be excited in finding intended meanings of some words, but the real meaning would basically be a perception in their eyes. I agree with this argument by Patrick because I hold the belief that things might not always be the way they are perceived. The true and hidden meaning of some of the words or texts cannot be found just by taking a look at them. There needs to be a critical and in-depth look at the issue prior to discovering their actual meaning (TED-Ed n.p.).

The Lack of Scientific and Mathematical Proofs

Mathematical and scientific proofs have been found effective in unraveling some conspiracy theories and expounding their arguments. The video presents a conspiracy theory and its origin without any reference to scientific or mathematical proof of the theory. The Ramsey Theory discussed in the video, for instance, only relies on the arrangement of items or objects into combinations that cannot be scientifically or mathematically proven. The notion that some theories can be proven without looking at the deeper details is in several cases quite misleading. Therefore, the arguments in the video are quite shallow and need to dig deeper into the real meaning of conspiracy theories.

Works Cited