Editing Conspiracy theory (section)

==Difference from conspiracy==
A conspiracy theory is not simply a [[conspiracy]], which refers to any covert plan involving two or more people.<ref name="Barkun2016"/> In contrast, the term "conspiracy theory" refers to ''hypothesized'' conspiracies that have specific characteristics. For example, conspiracist beliefs invariably oppose the mainstream consensus among those people who are qualified to evaluate their accuracy, such as [[scientist]]s or [[historians]].<ref name="Brotherton2013-q">{{cite journal|last1=Brotherton|first1=Robert|year=2013|title=Towards a definition of 'conspiracy theory'|url=http://www.psypag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Issue-88.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=PsyPAG Quarterly|volume=1|issue=88|pages=9–14|doi=10.53841/bpspag.2013.1.88.9|s2cid=141788005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007174759/http://www.psypag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Issue-88.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2013|quote=A conspiracy theory is not merely one candidate explanation among other equally plausible alternatives. Rather, the label refers to a claim which runs counter to a more plausible and widely accepted account...[Conspiratorial beliefs are] invariably at odds with the mainstream consensus among scientists, historians, or other legitimate judges of the claim's veracity.}}</ref> Conspiracy theorists see themselves as having privileged access to socially persecuted knowledge or a stigmatized mode of thought that separates them from the masses who believe the official account.<ref name="Barkun2016">{{cite journal|author-last=Barkun|author-first=Michael|author-link=Michael Barkun|date=October 2016|title=Conspiracy Theories as Stigmatized Knowledge|editor1-last=Campion-Vincent|editor1-first=Véronique|editor2-last=Renard|editor2-first=Jean-Bruno|journal=[[Diogenes (journal)|Diogenes]]|volume=62|issue=3–4 |pages=114–120|doi=10.1177/0392192116669288|lccn=55003452|s2cid=152217672}}</ref> [[Michael Barkun]] describes a conspiracy theory as a "template imposed upon the world to give the appearance of order to events".<ref name="Barkun2016"/>

Real conspiracies, even very simple ones, are difficult to conceal and routinely experience unexpected problems.<ref name="Brotherton2013"/> In contrast, conspiracy theories suggest that conspiracies are unrealistically successful and that groups of conspirators, such as [[Bureaucracy|bureaucracies]], can act with near-perfect competence and secrecy. The causes of events or situations are simplified to exclude complex or interacting factors, as well as the role of chance and unintended consequences. Nearly all observations are explained as having been deliberately planned by the alleged conspirators.<ref name="Brotherton2013">{{cite journal|last1=Brotherton|first1=Robert|year=2013|title=Towards a definition of 'conspiracy theory'|url=http://www.psypag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Issue-88.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=PsyPAG Quarterly|volume=1|issue=88|pages=9–14|doi=10.53841/bpspag.2013.1.88.9|s2cid=141788005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007174759/http://www.psypag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Issue-88.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2013}}</ref>

In conspiracy theories, the conspirators are usually claimed to be acting with extreme malice.<ref name="Brotherton2013"/> As described by Robert Brotherton:

{{blockquote|The malevolent intent assumed by most conspiracy theories goes far beyond everyday plots borne out of self-interest, corruption, cruelty, and criminality. The postulated conspirators are not merely people with selfish agendas or differing values. Rather, conspiracy theories postulate a black-and-white world in which good is struggling against evil. The general public is cast as the victim of organised persecution, and the motives of the alleged conspirators often verge on pure maniacal evil. At the very least, the conspirators are said to have an almost inhuman disregard for the basic liberty and well-being of the general population. More grandiose conspiracy theories portray the conspirators as being Evil Incarnate: of having caused all the ills from which we suffer, committing abominable acts of unthinkable cruelty on a routine basis, and striving ultimately to subvert or destroy everything we hold dear.<ref name="Brotherton2013"/>}}