Episode 33
On Conspiracy: A preliminary discussion
April 1st, 2026
1 hr 37 mins 12 secs
Your Hosts
About this Episode
According to Brian Keely, who wrote a widely read paper published the journal of philosophy in 1999, “A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons—the conspirators—acting in secret.” In this episode we try to get a handle on what a conspiracy is, what a conspiracy theory is, and what this has to do with us and our podcast. We neither push nor debunk any conspiracies in this discussion; that’s not really what we are interested in (though we do toss up a few to chew on…think the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Nixon and the Watergate scandal, Scientology and Operation Snow White, CIA & Operation Paperclip, MK-Ultra, and even pharmaceutical conspiracies…).
It was our intention to discuss in detail another session from the 2001 interview with Robert Anton Wilson ('Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything, or Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance'), and while Wilson looms over this conversation, we decided to come back a week later to have another crack at his ideas; so if you’d like to hear more, then check out our Patreon in about a week, as we we will be releasing that discussion as a bonus episode.
References
- Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything: Or, Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance: Session Four - Politics And Conspiracy Theory (2001)
- Uscinski & Enders—What Is a Conspiracy Theory and Why Does It Matter?
- 2pac (1995) Me Against the World
- Nera & Schöpfer — What is so special about conspiracy theories?
- Alan Moore — V for Vendetta (1982—1989); film version written by The Wackowskis and directed by James McTeigue in 2005.
- Altered Mates—Episode 11—Giving LSD to kids! (…to treat severe childhood schizophrenia)
- Altered Mates—Episode 12—Confrontation with the Unconscious: Part One — Psychedelic Experience and Psychosis
Links
Altered Mates Substack
Altered Mates Patreon
Music for the show by Si Mulumby
A Glimpse of Eternity by Alejandro Tuama