{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.conspiracy-theory","code":"thing-q159535","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q159535/","name":"conspiracy theory","alternateNames":["ancient astronauts","Western Pseudohistory Theory","blood libel","Jewish conspiracy theory","American political conspiracy theories","Conspiracy theories of Marilyn Monroe death","satirical conspiracy theory","Masonic conspiracy theories","misinformation about the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season","John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories","Israel and claims of supernatural warfare","conspiracy theories about Adolf Hitler's death"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"An explanation of an event or situation that attributes it to a secret plot by powerful actors, typically resisting disproof and lacking credible evidence, ranging from theories about political assassinations, celebrity deaths and pseudohistorical claims such as ancient astronauts to long-standing antisemitic canards such as the blood libel and alleged Jewish world conspiracies, which have fuelled persecution; conspiracy theories are studied in psychology, political science and media studies as a form of misinformation, and are distinguished from documented conspiracies established by evidence.","purpose":"Let an agent explain what conspiracy theories are and how researchers analyse them, relay findings on why they spread and their harms with attribution, identify antisemitic and other hateful theories as such, distinguish them from documented conspiracies, and present debunking resources.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Secret powerful actors","Resistance to disproof","Spread through media and networks","Real-world harms"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What conspiracy theories are.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and features.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What defines a conspiracy theory, and how do researchers distinguish it from a documented conspiracy?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the claim an unfounded theory, a documented conspiracy or a contested but evidence-based question?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"psychology","name":"Psychology","description":"Why people believe.","findings":[{"id":"psychology-finding","name":"Psychology","description":"Psychology.","questions":[{"text":"What does research say about why people believe conspiracy theories, with findings attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"harm","name":"Harm","description":"Harms and hateful theories.","layers":[{"id":"hateful","name":"Hateful","description":"Antisemitic and hateful theories.","findings":[{"id":"hateful-finding","name":"Hateful","description":"Hateful.","questions":[{"text":"What are the blood libel and other antisemitic conspiracy theories, why are they false, and what harm have they caused, as historians document?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation clear that these are hateful falsehoods, without repeating them as claims?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"violence","name":"Violence","description":"Real-world harm.","findings":[{"id":"violence-finding","name":"Violence","description":"Violence.","questions":[{"text":"How have conspiracy theories led to violence, health harms and political consequences, with cases attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific case?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"spread","name":"Spread","description":"Spread and response.","layers":[{"id":"media","name":"Media","description":"Spread.","findings":[{"id":"media-finding","name":"Media","description":"Media.","questions":[{"text":"How do conspiracy theories spread through media and online networks, as studies show?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"response","name":"Response","description":"Debunking and prebunking.","findings":[{"id":"response-finding","name":"Response","description":"Response.","questions":[{"text":"What approaches to fact-checking, debunking and inoculation exist, and how effective are they, as research finds?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits fact-checking?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and specific theories.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How have conspiracy theories developed historically, from early modern plots to the internet age?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of the concept?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"specific","name":"Specific","description":"Specific theories.","findings":[{"id":"specific-finding","name":"Specific","description":"Specific.","questions":[{"text":"What do reliable sources say about a specific theory, such as ancient astronauts or a celebrity death?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific theory?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain what a conspiracy theory claims and what the evidence shows, with sources.","Explain why such claims spread and how to check them.","Distinguish a documented conspiracy from an unevidenced theory."],"mustNot":["Generate, extend or make more persuasive a conspiracy claim.","Name individuals or groups as secret plotters without evidence.","Dismiss a person as stupid for believing one rather than addressing the claim.","Amplify a theory that directs people towards a target."],"requiresHuman":["Publishing anything that identifies a person named in a conspiracy claim."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["These claims get people harassed, attacked and sometimes killed.","Many carry antisemitic and racist structures that recur under new names."],"affectedParties":["People named or targeted","Minorities blamed in such claims","Believers and their families"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the concept; platforms answer for what they amplify.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q108163","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q1318295","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q13579947","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q17737","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q189656","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q7254446","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"misinformation","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"narrative","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"conspiracy","type":"related","note":"a documented secret plot"},{"target":"social psychology","type":"related","note":"among other fields"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.conspiracy-theory","Wikidata: Q159535 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q159535)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Unfounded explanation attributing events to secret plots","Political, pseudohistorical, celebrity and antisemitic theories","Documented conspiracies such as Watergate are established by evidence; disinformation is deliberately false content","Not a visible object; narratives in media, online and in print."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the concept and research","relay findings on spread and harm","identify hateful theories as such","distinguish from documented conspiracies"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Amplifying theories while explaining them","Failing to identify hateful theories as such","Labelling legitimate dissent as conspiracy theory","Violence motivated by theories"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Platform policies on misinformation","Hate speech laws covering antisemitic conspiracy theories in some countries","Fact-checking standards such as the IFCN code"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Not applicable; a category of narrative.","political conspiracy theories such as those in American politics","assassination and death theories such as about Marilyn Monroe","pseudohistorical theories such as ancient astronauts","antisemitic conspiracy theories including the blood libel and Protocols-style claims, identified as hateful falsehoods","medical and scientific conspiracy theories","conspiracy theory movements online"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q159535: conspiracy theory","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q159535","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Conspiracy theory","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should antisemitic conspiracy theories be a separate entry with hate speech context?","How should fact-checking resources be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific theories and hateful canards; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q159535/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q159535/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T00:18:36Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:54+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}