Asking Quote by Karl Popper
“The conspiracy theory of society... comes from abandoning god and then asking: "Who is in his place"”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Logic of Scientific Discovery, 1934
Societal conspiracy ideas arise when people abandon higher principles and seek a new authority.
In simple terms: Abandoning principles fuels conspiracy.
Key Takeaway
Ground decisions in critical thinking and evidence.
Themes
conspiracy
authority
faith
Mood
skeptical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- media consumption
- education curricula
Key Concepts
epistemology
social psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What underlying fears drive conspiracy belief?
- How can societies rebuild trust?
A Different Perspective
Conspiracy thinking can also be a form of protest.
![“The Conspiracy Theory of Society... [is] a typical result of the secularization of a religious superstition. The belief in the Homeric gods whose conspiracies explain the history of the Trojan War is gone. The gods are abandoned. But their place is filled by powerful men or groups - sinister…” quote by Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b44/karl-popper-2167_abandoned_the-conspiracy-theory-of-society-is-a-ty_949385.jpg)
![“The [Donald's] Trump war on the press continues. Tonight, the national cost of a conservative media bubble, now featuring alien conspiracy theories. And about those Obamacare headlines.” quote by Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/485/chris-hayes-2208_aliens_the-donald-s-trump-war-on-the-press-cont_260339.jpg)
![“I always say Manny [Ramirez] is a strange guy. Outwardly, he's happy-go-lucky. On the inside, he's got a lot of conspiracy theories going on. I would say Manny might be one of these guys when he's 50 years old, he might be in his house with all the blinds shut kind of looking out like the CIA's…” quote by Bronson Arroyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/138/bronson-arroyo-48309_cia_i-always-say-manny-ramirez-is-a-strange_212981.jpg)
![“[The aim of science is] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task of empirical science constantly renews itself. We may go on forever, proceeding to explanations of a higher and higher universality...” quote by Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f4e/karl-popper-2167_aim_the-aim-of-science-is-to-explain-what-so_121944.jpg)
