UFO conspiracy theories argue that evidence of unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial visitors is being suppressed by various governments around the world, most notably the United States government. Such conspiracy theories commonly argue that Earth governments, especially the Government of the United States, are in communication and/or cooperation with extraterrestrials despite public claims to the contrary, and further that some of these theories claim that the governments are explicitly allowing alien abduction.

Various UFO conspiracy ideas have flourished on the internet and were frequently featured on Art Bell's program, Coast to Coast AM. According to MUFON, the National Enquirer reported that a survey found 76% of participants felt the government was not revealing all it knew about UFOs, 54% thought UFOs definitely or probably existed, and 32% thought UFOs came from outer space.

Notable persons to have publicly stated that UFO evidence is being suppressed include Senator Barry Goldwater, Admiral Lord Hill-Norton (former NATO head and chief of the British Defence Staff), Brigadier General Arthur Exon (former commanding officer of Wright-Patterson AFB), Vice Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter (first CIA director), astronauts Gordon Cooper and Edgar Mitchell, and former Canadian Defence Minister Paul Hellyer. Beyond their testimonies and reports no substantiating evidence has been presented to support their statements and conclusions. According to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry little or no evidence exists to support them despite significant research on the subject by non-governmental scientific agencies.

A conspiracy theory is an explanatory or speculative hypothesis suggesting that two or more persons or an organization have conspired to cause or to cover up, through secret planning and deliberate action, an event or situation typically regarded as illegal or harmful. Since the mid-1960s, the phrase has denoted explanations that invoke conspiracies without warrant, often producing hypotheses that contradict the prevailing understanding of historical events or simple facts.

One common feature of conspiracy theories is that they evolve to incorporate evidence against them, so that they become unfalsifiable and, as Michael Barkun argues, "a matter of faith rather than proof." The term conspiracy theory has thus acquired a derogatory meaning, and is often used to dismiss or ridicule unpopular beliefs.

Usage of the term

People formulate conspiracy theories to explain, for example, power relations in social groups and the perceived existence of evil forces. Conspiracy theories have chiefly psychological or socio-political origins. Proposed psychological origins include projection; the personal need to explain "a significant event [with] a significant cause;" and the product of various kinds and stages of thought disorder, such as paranoid disposition, ranging in severity to diagnosable mental illnesses. Some people prefer socio-political explanations over the insecurity of encountering random, unpredictable, or otherwise inexplicable events. Some philosophers have argued that belief in conspiracy theories can be rational.

Conspiracy Theory is a 1997 American political thriller film directed by Richard Donner.

The original screenplay by Brian Helgeland centers on an eccentric taxi driver (Mel Gibson) who believes many world events are triggered by government conspiracies, and the Justice Department attorney (Julia Roberts) who becomes involved in his life.

The movie was a financial success, but critical reviews were mixed.

Plot

Alice Sutton (Julia Roberts) is a lawyer working for the U.S. government at the Justice Department. Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson), a conspiracy-theory obsessed New York City taxi driver, continually expounds his ideas to her. Alice humors him because he once saved her from a mugging, but does not know he has been spying on her at home. Her own obsession is to solve the mystery of her father's murder.

Seeing suspicious activity everywhere, Jerry identifies some men as CIA workers, follows them into a building, and is captured. He wakes up bound to a wheelchair. A doctor (Patrick Stewart) injects him with LSD, and interrogates him using torture. Jerry experiences terrifying hallucinations and flashbacks, panics, and manages to escape, incapacitating the doctor by biting his nose.

A conspiracy theory alleges an event or events to be secretly influenced by a premeditated group or groups of powerful people or organizations working together.

Conspiracy theory may also refer to:

See also