The Podcaster's Guide to the Conspiracy

It's a new episode of Conspiracy Theory Masterpiece Theatre, a fact that both of us forget to mention at all. You'll catch on fairly quickly, though, since we spend the whole time talking about Kurtis Hagen's 2020 paper "Is Conspiracy Theorizing Really Epistemically Problematic?", itself a reaction to Keith Harris's 2019 paper "What’s Epistemically Wrong with Conspiracy Theorising?" Two philosophe...

It's been close to 40 years, and the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie remains the deadliest act of terrorism in the UK. It's an event with many conspiratorial angles, which were discussed in a recent series as part of the BBC's "Intrigue" podcast. We take a look at the series and the events it discusses, and barely mention Highlander 2 at all. Also! M made a game! You can download it fo...

It's been 25 years since the 9/11 attacks, so obviously we're going to talk about AI. Does it pass the Turing Test? Is it conscious? Are there parasitic AI personas inducting their users into the secrets of the universe? What's the correct way to pronounce "ChatGPT"? This episode contains those answers and no others. You know, we never bother to include references in our episode descriptions, like...

M's desire to discuss the who, what and why of the ascended masters sees us look into Theosophy and its founder, Mme. Blavatsky, whose magnum opus is, we think you'll agree, thematically identical to the straight-to-DVD sci-fi horror film Species 3. Or Alien: Romulus if you prefer. Stay to the end for some startling revelations around what is and isn't Cake!

The mysterious Project Anchor has been a topic of conversation on social media lately, so we thought now would be a good time to look into it. What are NASA up to with $89 billion? What are they preparing for and what don't they want you to know about it? When is this all kicking off? The answers may surprise you unless you've read about it already.

Gird your loins, steel your nerves and kiss your loved ones goodbye as we stride proudly into The Confoundanatorium! First, M will attempt to confound Josh with a mini "What the Conspiracy?" segment; then Josh will do his best to confound M with a smaller-than-usual "Does M Remember?" segment! Who will be the most confounded by whom and what will be left of either of them at the end of it all? Onl...

M has been off schmoozing with their peers, cavorting and carousing at one of those star-studded, high-rolling philosophy conferences you always hear about on the news. They're back in China now, ready to give us a breakdown of what they got up to. No good? Some good? TOO MUCH GOOD?! The only way to know is to listen.

M's off being a practicing philosopher or something, so here's a quick story of the dangers of building your own jetpack. The dangers include not just flying into the sky and exploding, but more crimes and conspiracies than you might expect.

Willie McRae, a Scottish lawyer, politician and activist, died on April 7 1985 - this much is agreed on. Conspiracy theories persist to this day around exactly how and why he died (although, to be fair those closest to him really wish they wouldn't). This episode, we take a look into the claims and counterclaims around his death, to see what people think really happened and who was behind it.

It's time for another Conspiracy Theory Masterpiece Theatre - OR IS IT?  “Philosophy and conspiracy theories” by Juha Räikkä and Juho Ritola (a chapter from The Routledge handbook of conspiracy theories) is about conspiracy theories alright, and its conclusion is quite the showstopper. But "masterpiece"? Listen in to hear our views on whether it's masterful and what it may or may not be a pie...

Heartened by the discovery that Project Blue Beam - a conspiracy theory from the 90s about NASA using holograms and mind control to take over the world - is still alive and kicking in 2026, we go Back to the Conspiracy and revisit our old material from 2015, with updates for current developments. Turns out drones are the new holograms.

It's been way too long since we've encountered any truly novel conspiracy theories, so this episode Josh and M go on the hunt, browsing various sites and networks in real time to see if there's anything new and interesting out there. Results are... mixed. But we do get to talk about phlogiston at one point, so that's something.

It's been a good long while since we tested M's recall of their student radio days, so Josh has curated a package of themed episodes to quiz them with. Can M remember the details of conspiracy content that is even older than this podcast? Yes and no.

This episode was recorded on Easter Monday, and if we had been off the air for three days instead of three weeks, there might be some significance in that. As it stands, we're looking at David Coady's paper "Conspiracy as Heresy", whose title has religious connotations of its own, so I guess it all works out and we regret nothing.

We tried to record a new episode and failed spectacularly, so until conditions allow for a proper recording, here's a short episode that will become more relevant once the next full episode comes out. It's a look at the life of Martha Mitchell and the Effect that bears her name. Martha Mitchell was the wife of Nixon's Attorney General, who tried to blow the whistle on Watergate. An outspoken woman...

Josh and M discuss some Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories, and what the Epstein Files might mean for conspiracy theory theory overall.

M is still in the country, so we put another meal on the Patreon expense account and talk about recent and less recent conspiratorial happenings in Iran, while eating delicious baked goods at a Takapuna café. Good news if you like your podcasts candid and slice-of-life; if not, M will be back in China before you know it and we'll be back to recording as normal, so everyone's happy. Unless they're...

Join Josh and M over dinner as they discuss the recently deceased.

M has finished Ben Vigden's "State Secrets II" and - as a punishment - Josh has to find out how it ends.

A couple of episodes ago, we looked at a paper on particularism by Kurtis, M and Charles - this episode we're looking at the paper that that paper was a response to, making it both a prequel and a sequel. Just like The Godfather Part II. This episode is the Godfather Part II of podcast episodes - you can tell people we said that.

Josh and M discuss TESCREAL, Peter Thiel, and how Silicon Valley hasn't so much found god but, rather, decided to try and create one that they are afraid of...

Aw, Particularism - why so glum? You look like you need some positive affirmation - some reaffirmation, even. Well, you're in luck, because M, Kurtis and Charles have just authored “Particularism Reaffirmed: Why Conspiracy Theories (Variously Defined) Should Be Judged on Their Own Merits”! Let's have a look through it together and see if it can't perk you up.

M chats with Melina Tsapos and Patrick Brooks, two newly minted PhD holders whose works are on or at least touch on the philosophy of conspiracy theory theory.

Josh and M are back together, so the sensible thing to do is destroy both of their brains by having M try once again to find the point to "State Secrets II" - local author Ben Vigden's book of local conspiracy theories - and communicate it to Josh. Things do not go well.

Circumstances conspire against M and Josh for another week, but rather than deplete The Can any further, Josh records a filler episode covering an infamously conspiratorial incident from the world of professional wrestling.