Conspiracy theorists: Why I've had enough (and how I'm going to deal with them)

A discussion piece on the pernicious and dangerous phenomenon of conspiracy theories ... Comments and responses are welcome.

We live in an age where almost every belief, no matter how bizarre, can find validation online. Social media has made it easy for wild claims to spread, and for people to gather in digital echo chambers that reinforce their delusions. Against this backdrop, it has become fashionable to dismiss conspiracy theories as quirky, eccentric, or 'just another opinion'.

But let's be clear: conspiracy theories are not opinions. They are a rejection of reason, and in many cases, a direct conduit to prejudice. When they draw on anti-semitic (or anti-Islamic) tropes, or other forms of bigotry, the danger is not hypothetical. It corrodes our personal relationships, poisons our popular movements, and tears at the fabric of human society.

Believing in conspiracy theories is not a harmless eccentricity. It signals a fundamental failure of judgment. People who embrace such beliefs show they cannot evaluate sources, weigh evidence, or think critically about the world around them.

Part of what makes conspiracy theories so pernicious is their self-reinforcing nature. Believers rarely reconsider when confronted with contradictory evidence. Instead, they double down, reinterpreting every fact as further proof of the supposed 'plot'. The improbable becomes 'evidence,' the impossible becomes the 'truth', and in time, their world view mutates to fit the fantasy. Once someone is so deeply immersed, reasoned arguments bounce off them like pebbles off an armoured tank.

It is tempting to shrug off conspiracy theories as personal eccentricities. But they rarely remain private. Eventually, they leak into public discourse, fuel fear and mistrust, and incite violence. False narratives about elections, pandemics, or secret cabals have already mobilised destructive movements. When reality itself becomes negotiable, society pays the price. Tolerating conspiracy thinking is not a neutral act - it undermines the shared commitment to facts and reason on which true democracy depends. A pluralistic society can tolerate disagreement over values and ideologies. What it cannot tolerate is the wholesale rejection of reality.

This also applies to personal relationships. We rely on our friends, not just for emotional and intellectual companionship, but for sound judgment. A real friend is someone you can turn to in a crisis, someone whose decisions you respect. A person lost in paranoid delusions simply cannot offer that. When someone embraces irrational ideas, they undermine their own reliability, and with it, the trust that friendship requires. Sometimes the healthiest choice is to stop engaging.

Many people hesitate to draw boundaries, believing it kinder to indulge a conspiracy theorist. I have too often been guilty of this. But indulging irrationality carries real costs - it is exhausting, it corrodes one’s own sense of reality, and over time, it can desensitise or even influence the listener. Protecting yourself is not close-mindedness - it is self-preservation.

Walking away from a conspiracy theorist does not make you intolerant or disloyal; it means you are refusing to let irrationality dominate your mental space.

Conspiracy theories are corrosive falsehoods that erode trust, fracture relationships, and destabilise communities. Recognising this is essential. On a personal level, it means refusing to indulge conspiracy theorists, however uncomfortable that may feel. On a societal level, it means confronting falsehoods clearly and unequivocally, refusing to normalise them, and reaffirming our collective commitment to evidence and reason.

In the end, defending truth is not simply an intellectual exercise. It is an act of responsibility to ourselves, to our relationships, and to the kind of society we hope to create.

Published 5 October 2025