A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation,[1] while keeping their agreement secret from the public or from other people affected by it. In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of people united in the goal of usurping, altering or overthrowing an established political power. Depending on the circumstances, a conspiracy may also be a crime, or a civil wrong.[2] The term generally implies wrongdoing or illegality on the part of the conspirators, as people would not need to conspire to engage in activities that were lawful and ethical, or to which no one would object.
Illustration of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot, a secret plan devised in 1605 to blow up the Parliament of England
There are some coordinated activities that people engage in with secrecy that are not generally thought of as conspiracies. For example, intelligence agencies such as the American CIA and the British MI6 necessarily make plans in secret to spy on suspected enemies of their respective countries and the general populous of its home countries, but this kind of activity is generally not considered to be a conspiracy so long as their goal is to fulfill their official functions, and not something like improperly enriching themselves.[3] Similarly, the coaches of competing sports teams routinely meet behind closed doors to plan game strategies and specific plays designed to defeat their opponents, but this activity is not considered a conspiracy because this is considered a legitimate part of the sport. Furthermore, a conspiracy must be engaged in knowingly. The continuation of social traditions that work to the advantage of certain groups and to the disadvantage of certain other groups, though possibly unethical, is not a conspiracy if participants in the practice are not carrying it forward for the purpose of perpetuating this advantage.[3]
On the other hand, if the intent of carrying out a conspiracy exists, then there is a conspiracy even if the details are never agreed to aloud by the participants.[3] CIA covert operations, for instance, are by their very nature hard to prove definitively but research into the agency's work, as well as revelations by former CIA employees, has suggested several cases where the agency tried to influence events.[4] During the Cold War, the United States tried to covertly change other nations' governments 66 times, succeeding in 26 cases.[5]
A "conspiracy theory" is a belief that a conspiracy has actually been decisive in producing a political event of which the theorists strongly disapprove.[6] Political scientist Michael Barkun has described conspiracy theories as relying on the view that the universe is governed by design, and embody three principles: nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected.[7] Another common feature is that conspiracy theories evolve to incorporate whatever evidence exists against them, so that they become, as Barkun writes, a closed system that is unfalsifiable, and therefore "a matter of faith rather than proof."[8][9][10]
Conspiracy comes from the Latin word conspiratio. While conspiratio can mean "plot" or "conspiracy", it can also translated as "unity" and "agreement", in the context of a group.[11]Conspiratio comes from conspiro which, while still meaning "conspiracy" in the modern sense, also means "I sing in unison", as con- means "with" or "together", and spiro means "I breathe", literally meaning "I breathe together with others".
Types of conspiracies
Conspiracy (civil), an agreement between people to deceive, mislead, or defraud others of their legal rights or to gain an unfair advantage.
Conspiracy (criminal), an agreement between people to break the law in the future, in some cases having committed an act to further that agreement.
Conspiracy (political), an agreement between people with the goal of gaining political power or meeting a political objective.
Hub-and-spoke conspiracy, a conspiracy in which one or more principal conspirators (the "hub") enter into several similar agreements with others (the "spokes") who know concerted action is contemplated, usually where the success of the concerted action depends on the participation of the other spokes.
^Barkun, Michael (2011). Chasing Phantoms: Reality, Imagination, and Homeland Security Since 9/11. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 10.
^Mapped: The 7 Governments the U.S. Has Overthrown. Yes, we now have confirmation that the CIA was behind Iran's 1953 coup. But the agency hardly stopped there. By J. Dana Stuster. Foreign Policy, August 20, 2013.
^"Conspiratio". ONLINE LATIN DICTIONARY. Olivetti Media Communication. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
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Quotations related to Conspiracy at Wikiquote
April 29, 2023
conspiracy, secret, agreement, between, more, parties, limit, open, competition, collusion, other, uses, disambiguation, confused, with, conspiracy, theories, conspiracy, also, known, plot, secret, plan, agreement, between, people, called, conspirers, conspira. For a secret agreement between two or more parties to limit open competition see Collusion For other uses see Conspiracy disambiguation Not to be confused with conspiracy theories A conspiracy also known as a plot is a secret plan or agreement between people called conspirers or conspirators for an unlawful or harmful purpose such as murder or treason especially with political motivation 1 while keeping their agreement secret from the public or from other people affected by it In a political sense conspiracy refers to a group of people united in the goal of usurping altering or overthrowing an established political power Depending on the circumstances a conspiracy may also be a crime or a civil wrong 2 The term generally implies wrongdoing or illegality on the part of the conspirators as people would not need to conspire to engage in activities that were lawful and ethical or to which no one would object Illustration of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot a secret plan devised in 1605 to blow up the Parliament of England There are some coordinated activities that people engage in with secrecy that are not generally thought of as conspiracies For example intelligence agencies such as the American CIA and the British MI6 necessarily make plans in secret to spy on suspected enemies of their respective countries and the general populous of its home countries but this kind of activity is generally not considered to be a conspiracy so long as their goal is to fulfill their official functions and not something like improperly enriching themselves 3 Similarly the coaches of competing sports teams routinely meet behind closed doors to plan game strategies and specific plays designed to defeat their opponents but this activity is not considered a conspiracy because this is considered a legitimate part of the sport Furthermore a conspiracy must be engaged in knowingly The continuation of social traditions that work to the advantage of certain groups and to the disadvantage of certain other groups though possibly unethical is not a conspiracy if participants in the practice are not carrying it forward for the purpose of perpetuating this advantage 3 On the other hand if the intent of carrying out a conspiracy exists then there is a conspiracy even if the details are never agreed to aloud by the participants 3 CIA covert operations for instance are by their very nature hard to prove definitively but research into the agency s work as well as revelations by former CIA employees has suggested several cases where the agency tried to influence events 4 During the Cold War the United States tried to covertly change other nations governments 66 times succeeding in 26 cases 5 A conspiracy theory is a belief that a conspiracy has actually been decisive in producing a political event of which the theorists strongly disapprove 6 Political scientist Michael Barkun has described conspiracy theories as relying on the view that the universe is governed by design and embody three principles nothing happens by accident nothing is as it seems and everything is connected 7 Another common feature is that conspiracy theories evolve to incorporate whatever evidence exists against them so that they become as Barkun writes a closed system that is unfalsifiable and therefore a matter of faith rather than proof 8 9 10 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Types of conspiracies 3 References 4 External linksEtymology EditConspiracy comes from the Latin word conspiratio While conspiratio can mean plot or conspiracy it can also translated as unity and agreement in the context of a group 11 Conspiratio comes from conspiro which while still meaning conspiracy in the modern sense also means I sing in unison as con means with or together and spiro means I breathe literally meaning I breathe together with others Types of conspiracies EditConspiracy civil an agreement between people to deceive mislead or defraud others of their legal rights or to gain an unfair advantage Conspiracy criminal an agreement between people to break the law in the future in some cases having committed an act to further that agreement Conspiracy political an agreement between people with the goal of gaining political power or meeting a political objective Hub and spoke conspiracy a conspiracy in which one or more principal conspirators the hub enter into several similar agreements with others the spokes who know concerted action is contemplated usually where the success of the concerted action depends on the participation of the other spokes References Edit Collins Dictionary conspiracy Conspiracy merriam webster com Retrieved December 27 2017 a b c Peter Knight Conspiracy Theories in American History An Encyclopedia 2003 p 15 16 Four more ways the CIA has meddled in Africa BBC 17 May 2016 The U S tried to change other countries governments 72 times during the Cold War By Lindsey A O Rourke The Washington Post December 23 2016 Joseph E Uscinski and Joseph M Parent American Conspiracy Theories 2014 excerpt Barkun Michael 2003 A Culture of Conspiracy Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America Berkeley University of California Press pp 3 4 Barkun 2003 p 7 Barkun Michael 2011 Chasing Phantoms Reality Imagination and Homeland Security Since 9 11 Chapel Hill University of North Carolina Press p 10 Mapped The 7 Governments the U S Has Overthrown Yes we now have confirmation that the CIA was behind Iran s 1953 coup But the agency hardly stopped there By J Dana Stuster Foreign Policy August 20 2013 Conspiratio ONLINE LATIN DICTIONARY Olivetti Media Communication Retrieved 4 July 2022 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conspiracies Quotations related to Conspiracy at Wikiquote Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Conspiracy amp oldid 1149994753, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
