There are a spectrum of conspiracy theories out there that range from the outright ridiculous to unsolved mysteries. So I'm wondering which theories the LQ community believe are credible to look into and which ones have been thoroughly debunked and are a considerable waste of time? Recently I've noticed an increasing trend of flat earthers.

not every conspiracy theory is a theory - conspiracies exist (sure sundialsvcs remembers where that came from).

i think intelligent design is better - the ultimate conspiracy theory!

These things are one of my hobbys -- I don't take them seriously but enjoy them.
It seems that the proven ones are horrific (USA infecting people with diseases) but the more far fetched are more fun.

How about the Apollo 11 moon landing?

One of the best sites on that subject is http://www.aulis.com. In different sections, it also discusses several other conspiracies including 9/11 and JFK. I happen to find that the material on this site is very thorough and well-reasoned ... and, eye-opening.

Personally, I think that the term, "conspiracy theory," is a very loaded term. It can be used to refer to any case where "the official truth" is questioned, or is questionable. And, implicit in the term is that the theory is false, and that anyone who adheres to them is more than a few bricks short of a load.

dbCooper was pushed!

My first thought at your threads title was the same as Ondoho, religion by definition doing the same things over and over expecting the same-thing‽
But; the moon landing is an inspirational "theory" if you ask me, prove it to them, do it over and over and evolve with it... colonize it!

Although there may be indeed conspiracy theories, I think that one of the juiciest conspiracy theories is believing that any version of history that does not match the official history is a "conspiracy theory" .

Who wrote "your history" book?

cool, they even have a movie with nice historical footage and retro electronic soundtrack!

sundialsvcs is an enigma and perhaps an example of how smart people can be fooled if they have sufficient paranoia regarding "those in authority'. I have publicly stated that sundialsvcs is intelligent, educated, well-read, and even displays some critical thinking yet he, like many others, falls victim to such ridiculous conspiracy theories as 'The Moon Landings Were Faked!!"

There is another thread in which the vast majority of so-called evidence has been debunked by many sources in addition to the excellent job the TV show "MythBusters" did on the subject. In addition to the main episode, they did a finale in which they visited Apache Point observatory and while you watch bounce a laser beam off one of the three reflectors placed precisely on the moon for exactly this purpose and whose coordinates are public and are available to research facilities and Universities, not exactly wise if one is a con man keeping a tight lid on the con. You can see it for yourself here -- Bouncing Lasers Off Reflectors on the Moon ---

Of course, assuming one has confidence in robotic missions, there are also recent photos from Lunar Survey satellites that render undeniable evidence of our landing there but deniers hang on to 1950s fears like the ( OMG!) dreaded Van Allen Belts and dubious photo analysis to maintain their high and mighty doubts.

This typical conspiracy theory at this point is only fascinating in that it still exists where Flat Earthers are more obviously either insane or just trolling.

sundailsvcs, you know I respect you in many areas but you really need to let this one go or risk being typecast as a nutjob Chicken Little and for good reason

I like the one about the British royal family being giant carnivorous lizards.

That one doesn't count, though, since it's true...
In the meantime, these guys have managed re-create the dialogue of some of the major conspiracy theories.

Shhhh. We're not supposed to realize that Diana was "hacked" in 1983 -- Dirty Diana --- They could be monitoring this channel!

What if like 1984 you woke up and history had been rewritten? What has been left out? We talk about conspiracy theories but we have little blood in the game. What if it was something like your future or the truth would your reaction be the same. I think we look at history without seeing what is missing and has been edited out.