Conspiracies in Democracy
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Abstract
The spread of various kinds of paranoid theories seems to have a growing influence on public opinion in contemporary democracies. An attempt is made here to review some classical sources that could explain the origins and scope of these ways of thinking about politics. From the review of various contributions, such as those of historians or theorists like Freud, Popper and Canetti, an attempt will be made to unravel some characteristics of conspiracy thinking about society. In order to update the theme, reflections by thinkers such as Eco and Bobbio are also considered. The legitimacy crisis of our political systems, it is argued, provides a background for the proliferation of paranoid explanations, also fueled by depoliticization and the predominance of subjective demands in the public arena.
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