编辑“陰謀論”（章节）

== 詞源應用 ==
《[[牛津英語詞典]]》把陰謀論定義為「將已發生的事或現象視為因既得利益者在背後密謀而導致的一套理論。特別是认为某种隐蔽但有影响力的机构（通常具有政治动机和壓迫意圖）要对不明原因的事件负责」。它認為最早應用該組字詞的文獻為1909年於《[[美國歷史評論]]》上發表的一篇文章<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM'' (v. 4.0), Oxford University Press, 2009, s.v. '''4'''</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Johnson | first = Allen | title = Reviewed Work: ''The Repeal of the Missouri Compromise: Its Origin and Authorship'' by P. Orman Ray | journal = [[美國歷史評論|The American Historical Review]] | volume = 14 | issue = 4 | pages = 835–836 | doi = 10.2307/1837085 | jstor = 1837085 | date = 1909 | hdl = 2027/loc.ark:/13960/t27948c87 | quote = The claim that [David R.] Atchison was the originator of the [Missouri Compromise] repeal may be termed a recrudescence of the conspiracy theory first asserted by Colonel John A. Parker of Virginia in 1880. }}</ref>。不過此一用詞早在1870年4月便於印刷品上出現<ref name="JoMS-1870">{{cite journal |journal=The Journal of Mental Science |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VsRMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA141 |last1=Robertson |first1=Lockhart |author2=Association of Medical Officers of Asylums and Hospitals for the Insane (London, England) |author3=Medico-psychological Association of Great Britain and Ireland |author4=Royal Medico-psychological Association |title=The Report of a Quarterly Meeting of the Medico-Psychological Association, held in London at the Royal Medico-Chirurgical Society, by permission of the President and Council, on the 27th January, 1870. [in Part IV. Psychological News.] |editor1-last=Maudsley |editor1-first=Henry |editor2-last=Sibbald |editor2-first=John |volume=XVI |number=73 |location=London |date=April 1870 |publisher=[[朗文出版社|Longman, Green, Longman, & Roberts]] |issn=0368-315X |oclc=4642826321 |quote=The theory of Dr. Sankey as to the manner in which these injuries to the chest occurred in asylums deserved our careful attention. It was at least more plausible that the conspiracy theory of Mr. Charles Reade, and the precautionary measure suggested by Dr. Sankey of using a padded waistcoat in recent cases of mania with general paralysis—in which mental condition nearly all these cases under discussion were—seemed to him of practical value. |access-date=2020-12-21 |archive-date=2021-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111040125/https://books.google.com/books?id=VsRMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA141 |dead-url=no }}</ref>。英語的陰謀「conspiracy」為拉丁語「con-」（一起）跟「spirare」（呼吸）拼合而成。

罗伯特·布拉斯基维茨（Robert Blaskiewicz）評論道，早在19世纪就有應用「陰謀論」一词的例子，并指出此一用詞在用法上一直帶有貶義<ref name="CSICOP">{{cite web|url=http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/nope_it_was_always_already_wrong|title=Nope, It Was Always Already Wrong|last1=Blaskiewicz|first1=Robert|website=The Skeptical Inquirer|publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry|access-date=2015-12-11|date=2013-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212122454/http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/nope_it_was_always_already_wrong|archive-date=2015-12-12|deadurl=no}}</ref>。根据安德鲁·麦肯齐-麦卡格（Andrew McKenzie-McHarg）的研究，在19世纪，阴谋论一词仅仅是指「提出了一个可信的阴谋假设」，其「并不带有任何評價，不論是消極還是積極」，尽管有时如此标榜的假设会受到批评<ref>McKenzie-McHarg, Andrew (2019) "Conspiracy Theory: The Nineteenth-Century Prehistory of a Twentieth-Century Concept," pp. 78, 76. In Joseph E. Uscinski (ed) ''Conspiracy Theories & the People Who Believe Them''. New York: Oxford University Press.</ref>。「阴谋论」一詞本身便是陰謀論的對象——此一說法認為陰謀論一詞是[[中央情报局]]推廣給大眾，以使陰謀論支持者成為被嘲笑的對象，令人們對其失去信用，這點在[[華倫委員會]]批評者身上尤其突出<ref name="Brotherton2015-4">{{cite book |author=Robert Brotherton |title=Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories |chapter=Chapter 4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=awrcCQAAQBAJ |date=2015-11-19 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4729-1564-1 |access-date=2020-12-19 |archive-date=2021-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101091728/https://books.google.com/books?id=awrcCQAAQBAJ |dead-url=no }}</ref>。政治科學家兰斯·德哈文-史密斯（Lance deHaven-Smith）在其於2013年發表的著作《美國的陰謀論》（Conspiracy Theory in America）中寫道，自1964年華倫委員會就[[约翰·F·肯尼迪遇刺案]]推出報告，以及《紐約時報》在五篇報導中使用陰謀論一詞以來，它便成為了美國的日常用語<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TilCeCKDujQC|title=Conspiracy Theory in America|last1=deHaven-Smith|first1=Lance|date= 2013-04-15|isbn=9780292743793|pages=3|quote=The term "conspiracy theory" did not exist as a phrase in everyday American conversation before 1964. ... In 1964, the year the Warren Commission issued its report, ''The New York Times'' published five stories in which "conspiracy theory" appeared.|access-date= 2016-01-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906032935/https://books.google.com/books?id=TilCeCKDujQC&printsec=frontcover|archive-date= 2016-09-06|deadurl=no}}</ref>。不過[[蒂宾根大学]]美国文学和文化史教授迈克尔·巴特（Michael Butter）批評了德哈文-史密斯的說法。他以德哈文-史密斯引用的中央情报局文件《关于〈沃伦报告〉的批评》（於1976年因《信息自由法》而公開）作有關理據，指其通篇都沒出現過「Conspiracy theory」一詞，只有提及「conspiracy theories」一次——「阴谋论[Conspiracy theories]经常使我们的组织受到怀疑，例如错误地声称[[李·哈维·奥斯瓦尔德]]幫過我們做事」<ref>{{cite web |last1=Butter |first1=Michael |title=There's a conspiracy theory that the CIA invented the term 'conspiracy theory' – here's why |url=https://theconversation.com/theres-a-conspiracy-theory-that-the-cia-invented-the-term-conspiracy-theory-heres-why-132117 |website=The Conversation |publisher=The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited |access-date=2020-11-23 |date=2020-03-16 |archive-date=2021-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326090601/https://theconversation.com/theres-a-conspiracy-theory-that-the-cia-invented-the-term-conspiracy-theory-heres-why-132117 |dead-url=no }}</ref>。