Conspiracy

I would recommend this book for anyone who is curious about the role that "conspiracism" (the belief in conspiracy theories) plays in modern society. Before reading it, though, I would track down a copy of Richard Hofstadter's essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," which is where the term "Paranoid Style" in the book's subtitle comes from. After reading Hofstadter's essay, you will have a better background to understand Pipes' contribution to the topic.

This is an excellent book that explains what the whole business of conspiracy theories is all about and particularly its origins. If you have a particular interest in any specific conspiracy,don't expect to find an answer in this book that will put that theory to rest; right or wrong. The author traces the more popular theories such as those about Templars,Freemasons,Illuminati,Antisemitism,and others back to the times of the Crusades. It is doubtful that there were no such conspiracy theories prior to that time because the real roots seem to lie in the basic human faults of Pride, Covetness,Envy,Lust,Anger and even Gluttony and Sloth.These evils most certainly arose wherever groups of people realized there were differences between "Them" and "Us" and most importantly when the ideas or actions of one group affected the other;in ways that were imaginary or real. I think that one of the best patrs of the book is where he shows the differences between the approach and the types of people that deal in the world of conspiracy. While Left-Wing types get labelled as intellectuals; Right-Wing types get labelled as crackpots. He maintains that the media is responsible for this ;and it's hard to dispute that since most people rely on the media for their information. Maybe even the idea that the media is slanted is another conspiracy. Depending on one's preconceived ideas will determine whether the slant is to the left or right. There is a world of differences between conspiracy theories like those involving Illuminati and Antisemitism and an event like the killing of JFK or RFK. Furthermore,the author tries to show why in the case of JFK the interest has been so great and reasons given so littl accepted;while wiyh RFK it is totally different. RFK had no problem believing who was behind the killing of his brother,and since it involved more than a single person,namely Oswald,that fits the bill for a Conspiracy as opposed to a Conspiracy Theory. The problem with conspiracy theories in that there is simply no way that they can be proven right or wrong; because it means proving a negative; an impossibility. Nonetheless,an interesting coverage of the subject and helps put some rhyme and reason into it all. Well worth the time to read.

Pipes observes, "Every hate group has a conspiracy at the heart of its thinking." He goes on to explain how the "Right and Left engage in similar forms of conspiracism because they share much with each other-a temperament of hatred, a tendency toward violence, a suspiciousness that encourages conspiracism-and little with the political center." The best book I've read on the subject. Highly recommended.

It's tempting merely to laugh at the conspiracist theories that permeate the political extremes and the pseudo-scientific cults. What is important and original about Pipes' work on the subject, though, is its historical perspective. I found it a fascinating insight that conspiracism (Freemasonry at the time of Mozart's membership, for example) was once associated with liberal values, but later became bound up with a very different political traidition (the Jacobins and Leninism). Pipes continually makes counter-intuitive but well-reasoned observations about his subjects: for example, he observes that the anti-semitic tradition in conspiracism is distinct from that concerned with secret societies (Pat Robertson's conspiracist writings express the latter theme but not the former); and he identifies the links between an often crude and semi-literate right-wing variant of conspiracism, and an ostensibly sophisticated leftist variant, as advocated by the linguist Noam Chomsky, that is similarly "hare-brained" (as Pipes perceptively describes it). Thought-provoking, and well worth reading for insights into a little-studied (if egregious) aspect of intellectual history.

I found this book to be an excellent survey of the various different strands of conspiracy theories. Pipes goes through the long historical pedigree (if such a word is appropriate) of conspiracy theories, and he sets out a pretty good model for how to tell the difference between a nutty conspiracy theorist and a person with a healthy critical skepticism of the motives and actions of the government and other groups. While he is sometimes a bit too dismissive of those who agree with some conspiracy theories, his book is a useful antidote to the pseudo-intellectual quackery that many conspiracy theorists arm themselves with, and he shows the very real danger that these theories, when unchecked, can cause (e.g.: antisemitic theories and Nazism, antigovernment theories and the Oklahoma City Bombing). He also does a pretty decent job of putting the theories and theorists into a larger cultural and political context. However, for a good primer of conspiracies, real and imagined (I think, largely imagined), I'd also recommend reading "The 60 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time" by Jonathan Vankin and Ed Whalen (I think that is their names). Both of these books will keep you riveted, and introduce you to some fascinating and little-known facts.