Conspiracy Theories - Evolution and Culture

Conspiracy theories are universal and have been present throughout human history, as far as we know. These facts suggest that an evolutionary account of conspiracist thinking is appropriate. This paper discusses some recent evolutionary accounts and proposes a view which builds on them, but adds a distinctive focus on the morality of cooperation. It argues that elite cover up conspiracies evolved in part as communications about the reputations of that elite concerning their credibility and trustworthiness, with the intention to persuade them to change their behaviour to be more cooperative with the rest of the population. This general picture is argued to interact with local cultural values and practices around cooperation. Applying the model to China involves considering the relations between power distance and guanxi in determining whether cases of elite collusion are viewed as morally problematic conspiracies, with the implication that many cases would not. Implications for the COVID-19 conspiracy theories in China are noted.