The 11 strangest conspiracy theories: how we distort reality

Conspiracy theories are proof of how we are capable of believing fictions to explain everything.

There are people who believe that a part of reality remains hidden because of conspiracies.

A conspiracy is the illicit association between people to carry out an action contrary to the norm and usually in a brutal and harmful way for someone. It is a phenomenon that has been there throughout history, such as the assassination of Caesar and other rulers both before and after him. But sometimes some people tend to come up with exaggerated conspiracy theories as a way of explaining reality. From conspiracy to "conspiranoia", the fact of seeing signs of a conspiracy everywhere, there are a few steps.

In this article we will look at some of the strangest conspiracy theories or conspiracy theoriesThe most bizarre conspiracy theories, as a sample of how far we can go when it comes to distorting reality to try to make sense of what we see and do not understand.

What is a conspiracy theory and why are they called so?

The concept of conspiracy theory refers, in a slightly derogatory way and generally indicating the absence of belief in them, to conspiracy or conspiratorial theories that venture to give explanations that go far beyond the proven facts.. These theories attempt to describe one or more events that have occurred or could occur based on the existence of an alleged conspiracy by one or more secret groups that manipulate events for purposes that are generally negative for the rest of the population.

The name conspiranoid comes from the association of the terms conspiracy and paranoiaindicating that the theories that are handled are difficult to believe, twisted and strange. The choice of the word paranoia is not accidental. Many of the beliefs and theories included in this group have many or all of the characteristics of delusions: they are generally not supported by demonstrable evidence, they are not shared by the rest of the population, and they tend to be fixed and unchangeable. In fact, those who hold such beliefs often see those who criticize them as belonging to the conspiracy itself. Many of them arise out of fear, anomalous sensory experiences or, in a more self-serving way, simple political or economic interest.

If they are considered conspiratorial, it is because they distort reality in ways that are not credible to the majority of the population. However, in spite of its great extravagance, this does not necessarily does not necessarily imply the suffering of any mental problem, being only a more or less systematized belief.being only a more or less systematized belief.

Although there are quite pejorative stereotypes of people with this type of beliefs, the truth is that there is no prototype of person who believes them. Any person of any sex, race, age, profession or social position can hold beliefs of this type. Those who hold them tend to have a certain confirmation biasThey seek out and focus only on information that confirms their hypotheses. It is also observed that the probability of believing in one of these theories is modified by the feeling of belonging: someone who is part of a group threatened by the alleged conspiracy will be more likely to believe it.

Totally bizarre conspiracy theories

There are many conspiracy theories that have been developed throughout history, of very different types and about very different events. Here we will see some of the most outlandish ones, as a sample of the extent to which human beings are capable of believing their own fictions in order to give order and sense to in order to give order and sense to what happens.

1. The illuminati

One of the best known conspiracy theories is that of the Illuminati. This secret group of Bavarian origin, which really existed during the Enlightenment and was founded in 1776 as a reaction against the elites of the time, gradually disappeared. However, conspiracy theories propose that this society still exists today and that it is the organization that aims to form a world order. the organization that intends to form a world order.

It would be a group that decides and dominates the different events that occur in the world, having its extension in the Bilderberg club (a club that really exists and brings together some of the most influential and powerful people in the world).

Thus, a secret group would have survived for centuries and, somehow, would have gained the power to decide everything that happens, above any other authority, without the occasion for its true power to be revealed.

2. The reptilians

Another well-known (although considered much less credible) conspiracy theory is the one that proposes that we are being invaded and gradually dominated by reptilian aliens. These humanoid beings with reptilian features, apparently of great intelligence and coming from the Alpha Draconis system (although other theories would indicate that they have terrestrial origin), would disguise themselves as human beings and would be with the passage of time replacing the political elites and world leaders to seize power.

It seems that all the dynamics of domination and oppression occurring on the planet are not sufficiently evident by themselves: from this type of conspiracy, it is necessary to add the figure of an alien oligarchy to understand what is going on.

3. Nazis on the moon

The Nazi regime ended with the end of World War II. In its final moments or after the defeat of Germany, many Nazis tried to flee in order not to be prosecuted or persecuted. Some of them fled to South America, or to other countries where they could assume a new identity. However, there are some conspiracy theories in this regard.

One of the most striking proposes that during the World War the Germans would have created flying saucers based on implosion engines would have created flying saucers based on implosion engines that would have allowed them to travel to the moon.. These saucers, called Haunebu, would have even allowed them to establish a lunar base where the remnants of the Nazi regime could have taken refuge, all with the approval of the world powers.

4. HAARP as a weapon

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program or HAARP is a project with great potential aimed at studying the ionosphere, one of the outermost layers of the atmosphere.

Conspiracy theories, however, propose that it is a program conceived as a geophysical weapon with the capacity to change the global climate, with the potential to cause natural disasters. In fact, some theories propose that some modifications and natural disasters have already been intentionally provoked by this program, such as the earthquake in Haiti.

It would be a weapon that could also be used to invade specific areas where there are economic interests. It is also proposed that it could generate mental alterations in the human brain, thus being able to exert some control over the minds of its victims.

This type of conspiracy theory, in fact, is very similar to the old mythologies that explain climatic changes as being climatic changes as something that depends on an entity with a will of its own..

5. Vaccine autism

Another of the conspiracy theories tells us that vaccination, especially measles, rubella and flu vaccinations, generates or may generate autism in the children who undergo them. This is a belief that has been refuted on numerous occasions. but in many cases it is still in force, being a reason why some parents do not want to vaccinate their children.

6. Chemtrails

This theory establishes that the trails left by airplanes due to condensation are actually chemical products designed to generate various diseases, sterilize certain populations or make them require the or make them require the consumption of drugs. Some of the doubts that arise from this are why would anyone use such an expensive and imprecise method to spread chemicals.

7. Artificial creation of AIDS

HIV is a virus that has caused many deaths throughout history and of which there is still no known way to eradicate it, although fortunately the development of medicine has allowed people infected by this virus to live a normal life with a chronic but non-lethal disorder as in the past.

The conspiracy theory in question would refer to its emergence: HIV and AIDS were not known until relatively few decades ago. Initially discovered in apes, it is proposed that its passage to humans is due to the implementation of artificial modifications of the virus carried out intentionally in order to introduce it into the population. introduced into the population. The aim would be to weaken and deplete the homosexual population, the African population and prostitutes, who at the time when the virus appeared were frowned upon and persecuted by a large part of the population.

8. The 2004 tsunami

During the year 2004 we saw how a gigantic tsunami devastated the coasts of much of the world, including Indonesia and Japan. Some say that the tsunami was actually triggered either by HAARP or by atomic detonations. or by atomic detonations in the ocean.. Those who believe these theories are supported by the fact that different analyses and studies do not coincide when trying to locate the epicenter of the earthquake that generated the tsunami.

9. Conspiracies to kill

Some of the most widely believed conspiracy theories deal with conspiracies prepared to kill historical figures of great importance or whose relations or knowledge could pose a danger to a high position.

An example of this was the assassination of President J.F. Kennedy, which according to different theories could have been ordered by a political rival or by the Mafia, although it was also believed that he was eliminated by the FBI or the KGB. The fact that his assassin was in turn assassinated two days later increased the belief in these theories, which to this day remain valid for many. Another case was the Marilyn Monroewho was found dead due, according to the official version, to an overdose of barbiturates.

However, it is believed that her death could have been ordered by the government due to her relationship with high political officials such as the aforementioned president. A third case, this time on British soil, was that of the death of Lady Di, who some theories indicate may have been eliminated by the British secret services due to her separation with Prince Charles and her relationship with Dodi Al Fayed.

Area 51 and the Roswell case

Area 51 is one of the most mythical and popular areas precisely because of the conspiracy theories derived from it. In this military base, the remains of the alleged UFO that supposedly fell in Roswell were found, and different experiments were carried out on its occupants. It is also believed that in this area are made tests with alien materials and technologies are also believed to be carried out in this area..

11. Space conspiracies: fake moon landing and unacknowledged cosmonauts

Outer space exploration was one of the areas in which the United States and the Soviet Union competed fiercely during the Cold War. competed fiercely during the Cold War.. In this sense, there are multiple theories and claims that things were not as they were told by either side.

Officially, Gagarin was the first human being to travel through space. But there are theories that suggest that he was simply the first to be recognized, having returned alive, sent by the Soviet Union to other cosmonauts who, like Laika, died on their odyssey. Similarly, the United States is also involved in these theories. One of the most popular and widely believed theories is that man never actually landed on the Moon. For those who hold these theories, the moon landing was a recording prepared by the United States and staged by Stanley Kubrick to make the United States the first to achieve such a feat.

Another point of view

Conspiracy theories or conspiracy theories are a way of trying to explain a reality that we do not quite understand, or to give it our own interpretation based on our beliefs and experiences during life. In this sense we can consider that they try to fulfill a certain function.

It is not that in all the cases they are gratuitous beliefs: in many of the cases the people who believe them have supposed proofs of what happened. Moreover, although externally they may seem irrational, the truth is that some of them have logic if you look at them under the same perspective of those who defend them: it would not be the first murder that is committed in an orchestrated manner, there have been numerous real conspiracies throughout history or information has been hidden and manipulated at other times. It is also true that many people have believed things that have made them the object of criticism and have finally been proven right.

It should also be taken into account that sometimes real conspiracy theories are taken as conspiracy theories, such as the assassination of Trotsky or the MK Ultra project. Likewise, at the time, phenomena such as the Holocaust were considered inventions of this type of theories.

However, it should be taken into account that these beliefs are generally resistant to modification attempts even when evidence to the contrary is presented.. While it would not be impossible to modify a piece of evidence, one might at least consider the possibility of being in error and not assume that the doubters are part of a plot.

It is also necessary to assess whether what is considered evidence is actually causally related to the alleged conspiracy (which in many such theories is not the case). Similarly, it would require a titanic effort to carry out some of these conspiracies, an effort and power that in most cases could hardly be had.. The interpretation of these theories also tends to give excessive importance to unimportant details, considering them key.

In conclusion, conspiracy theories are mostly based on unproven and unverified premises or directly on some that have been proven false. Although a few are partly viable, they focus too much on specific aspects of reality as a way of explaining the world and what is happening in it, and the persistence and unmodifiability of these beliefs in spite of evidence to the contrary, makes them of little use in assessing evidence to the contrary, makes them of little use in assessing the environment. Moreover, they tend to make those who do not share them either ignorant or a possible threat, not valuing other interpretations that could perhaps be closer to the truth.