Creative Speculation

The typical conspiracist -- whether JFK or 9/11 or moon hoax -- believes that all the evidence we have was faked and all the "real" evidence must have been covered up. The typical conspiracist gets to a point where he or she starts thinking that anyone who ignores the CTs is a gullible sheep, but anyone who argues against them has an "agenda" or is even a "shill." That puts conspiracism in a different category than ordinary "speculation" that's been promoted to "fact": This kind of thinking leads to a delusional spiral that slips farther and farther away from evidence-based reasoning and reality. As imperfect as it is for knowing "the truth," evidence-based reasoning has proven to be the best way we have of knowing and understanding the world. Speculating is fine; conspiracism is an intellectual blight.