Editing Conspiracy theory (section)

==Types==
A conspiracy theory can be local or international, focused on single events or covering multiple incidents and entire countries, regions and periods of history.<ref name="Barkun2016"/> According to [[Russell Muirhead]] and [[Nancy Rosenblum]], historically, traditional conspiracism has entailed a "theory", but over time, "conspiracy" and "theory" have become decoupled, as modern conspiracism is often without any kind of theory behind it.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Muirhead|first1=Russell|last2=Rosenblum|first2=Nancy L.|date=2021-02-01|title=Will Reality Bite Back: Conspiratorial Fictions and the Assault on Democracy|journal=The Forum|language=en|volume=18|issue=3|pages=415–433|doi=10.1515/for-2020-2016|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Muirhead|first1=Russell|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv941trn|title=A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy|last2=Rosenblum|first2=Nancy L.|date=2019|publisher=Princeton University Press|doi=10.2307/j.ctv941trn|jstor=j.ctv941trn|isbn=978-0-691-18883-6|s2cid=159357706}}</ref>

===Walker's five kinds===
[[Jesse Walker]] (2013) has identified five kinds of conspiracy theories:<ref>[[Jesse Walker]], ''The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory'' (2013) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062135554 excerpt and text search] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512054322/https://www.amazon.com/United-States-Paranoia-Conspiracy-Theory/dp/0062135554 |date=12 May 2019 }}</ref>

* The "Enemy Outside" refers to theories based on figures alleged to be scheming against a community from without.
* The "Enemy Within" finds the conspirators lurking inside the nation, indistinguishable from ordinary citizens.
* The "Enemy Above" involves powerful people manipulating events for their own gain.
* The "Enemy Below" features the lower classes working to overturn the social order.
* The "Benevolent Conspiracies" are angelic forces that work behind the scenes to improve the world and help people.

===Barkun's three types===
[[Michael Barkun]] has identified three classifications of conspiracy theory:{{sfn|Barkun|2003|p=6}}

* ''Event conspiracy theories''. This refers to limited and well-defined events. Examples may include such conspiracies theories as those concerning the [[Kennedy assassination conspiracies|Kennedy assassination]], [[9/11]], and the [[discredited AIDS origins theories|spread of AIDS]].
* ''Systemic conspiracy theories''. The conspiracy is believed to have broad goals, usually conceived as securing control of a country, a region, or even the entire world. The goals are sweeping, whilst the conspiratorial machinery is generally simple: a single, evil organization implements a plan to infiltrate and subvert existing institutions. This is a common scenario in conspiracy theories that focus on the alleged machinations of [[International Jewish conspiracy|Jews]], [[Masonic conspiracy theories|Freemasons]], [[Red Scare|Communism]], or the [[Vatican conspiracy theories|Catholic Church]].
* ''Superconspiracy theories''. For Barkun, such theories link multiple alleged conspiracies together hierarchically. At the summit is a distant but all-powerful evil force. His cited examples are the ideas of [[David Icke]] and [[Milton William Cooper]].

===Rothbard: shallow vs. deep===
[[Murray Rothbard]] argues in favor of a model that contrasts "deep" conspiracy theories to "shallow" ones. According to Rothbard, a "shallow" theorist observes an event and asks ''[[Cui bono]]?'' ("Who benefits?"), jumping to the conclusion that a posited beneficiary is responsible for covertly influencing events. On the other hand, the "deep" conspiracy theorist begins with a hunch and then seeks out evidence. Rothbard describes this latter activity as a matter of confirming with certain facts one's initial paranoia.<ref>{{cite journal|first=B.K.|last=Marcus|url=https://mises.org/library/radio-free-rothbard|title=Radio Free Rothbard|journal=[[Journal of Libertarian Studies]]|volume=20|issue=1|date=2006|pages=17–51|access-date=24 August 2023}}</ref>