Dr M R. X. Dentith

• M R. X. Dentith's page at PhilPeople.org (https://philpeople.org/profiles/m-r-x-dentith)

• ... on Twitter (https://twitter.com/conspiracism)

• The Podcaster's Guide to the Conspiracy (https://conspiracism.podbean.com/)

"M R. X. Dentith, PhD (Auckland), is the author of The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories (Palgrave, 2014), the first single-author book-length treatment of the philosophical issues surrounding conspiracy theory, and editor of Taking Conspiracy Theories Seriously (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018), an edited collection of the most recent work on conspiracy theory theory. They have been a Fellow in the Institute for Research in the Humanities (ICUB) at the University of Bucharest and the New Europe College in Bucharest, and they are currently Associate Professor in the International Center for Philosophy at Beijing Normal University. Their current research project focuses on conspiracy theory, conspiracy theory theory, and secrecy."

Books

• M R. X. Dentith, ed., Taking Conspiracy Theories Seriously, Rowman & Littlefield (2018)

• _____________, The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories, Palgrave MacMillan (2014)

Items recommended by M R. X. Dentith (as giving a taste of the discussed book's contents)

• An overview of the book: Stan Erraught, "Taking Account of Conspiracy Theories", Rowman & Littlefield International (14 August 2019)

• The first versions of the debate between M R. X. Dentith, Patrick Stokes, and Lee Basham:

  • Basham, "The Need for Accountable Witnesses: A Reply to Dentith" (https://social-epistemology.com/2016/07/08/the-need-for-accountable-witnesses-a-reply-to-dentith-lee-basham/)

  • Dentith, "Treating Conspiracy Theories Seriously: A Reply to Basham on Dentith" (https://social-epistemology.com/2016/09/02/treating-conspiracy-theories-seriously-a-reply-to-basham-on-dentith-matthew-r-x-dentith/)

  • Stokes, "Between Generalism and Particularism about Conspiracy Theory: A Response to Basham and Dentith" (https://social-epistemology.com/2016/10/27/between-generalism-and-particularism-about-conspiracy-theory-a-response-to-basham-and-dentith-patrick-stokes/)

  • Stokes, "Reluctance and Suspicion: Reply to Basham and Dentith" (https://social-epistemology.com/2017/02/20/reluctance-and-suspicion-reply-to-basham-and-dentith-patrick-stokes/)

  • Dentith, "Conspiracy Theories and Their Investigator(s)" (https://social-epistemology.com/2017/04/13/conspiracy-theories-and-their-investigators-matthew-r-x-dentith/)

•  The first versions of replies by M R. X. Dentith et al to the French social scientists/members of the Le Monde group:

  • Basham & Dentith, "Social Science’s Conspiracy-Theory Panic: Now They Want to Cure Everyone" (https://social-epistemology.com/2016/10/13/social-sciences-conspiracy-theory-panic-now-they-want-to-cure-everyone-lee-basham/)

  • Dentith & Martin Orr, "Clearing Up Some Conceptual Confusions About Conspiracy Theory Theorising" (https://social-epistemology.com/2017/01/24/clearing-up-some-conceptual-confusions-about-conspiracy-theory-theorising-matthew-r-x-dentith-and-martin-orr/)

  • Pascal Wagner-Egger et al, "Why ‘Healthy Conspiracy Theories’ Are (Oxy)morons" (https://social-epistemology.com/2019/03/14/why-healthy-conspiracy-theories-are-oxymorons-part-one-pascal-wagner-et-al/)

  • Kurtis Hagen, "What Are They Really Up To? Activist Social Scientists Backpedal on Conspiracy Theory Agenda" (https://social-epistemology.com/2017/03/27/what-are-they-really-up-to-activist-social-scientists-backpedal-on-conspiracy-theory-agenda-kurtis-hagen/)

  • Basham, " “They” are Back (and still want to cure everyone): Psychologists’ Latest Bid to Curtail Public Epistemology" (https://social-epistemology.com/2019/07/15/they-are-back-and-still-want-to-cure-everyone-psychologists-latest-bid-to-curtail-public-epistemology-part-one-lee-basham/)

  • Dentith, "The Inquity of the Conspiracy Inquirers" (https://social-epistemology.com/2019/08/01/the-iniquity-of-the-conspiracy-inquirers-m-r-x-dentith/)

  • Basham, "Measuring Public Pathology: A Brief Response to Dentith on Wagner-Egger et al.’s “Why Conspiracy Theories are ‘Oxymorons…’,” or “Just Asking Some Questions” " (https://social-epistemology.com/2019/08/23/measuring-public-pathology-a-brief-response-to-dentith-on-wagner-egger-et-al-s-why-conspiracy-theories-are-oxymorons-or-just-asking-some-questions-lee-basham/) 

Other items mentioned in / relevant to the conversation

• Ori Freiman, "The Philosophy of Taking Conspiracy Theories Seriously", Social Epistemology Review & Reply Collective (2019)

• Karl R. Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies, Routledge (1945)

• ____________, Conjectures & Refutations, Harper & Row (1963)

• Richard Hofstadter, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics", Harper's Magazine (1964)
  

• COMPACT (https://conspiracytheories.eu/)

• Brian L. Keeley, "Of Conspiracy Theories", Journal of Philosophy (1999)

• Charles Pigden, "Popper Revisted, or, What Is Wrong With Conspiracy Theories?", (1995)

• _____________, "Conspiracy Theories and the Conventional Wisdom", (2007)

• Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_conspiracy_theories)

• Karen M. Douglas, Michael J. Wood & Robbie M. Sutton, "Dead and Alive: Beliefs in Contradictory Conspiracy Theories", Social Psychological and Personality Science (25 January 2012), uncorrected manuscript via ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235449075_Dead_and_Alive_Beliefs_in_Contradictory_Conspiracy_Theories)

• "Karen Douglas awarded €2.5m to investigate consequences of conspiracy theories", University of Kent (22 April 2021)

• The Time Cube (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Cube)

• Hannah Arendt (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Arendt)

Acknowledgements & Disclaimer

• The views expressed in this podcast by Dr M R. X. Dentith are their responsibility alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mind Renewed.

• The image of Dr Dentith (above) is Copyright ©  Dr M R. X. Dentith, all rights reserved; used here with kind permission.

• Podcast theme music: Chillout Me by Antony Raijekov from Jazz U album (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

• TMR wishes to state that the fact that these creative materials appear in TMR productions should in no way be understood as implying that its creators endorse anything published by TMR.

• Podcast artworks (below) by The Mind Renewed (CC BY-NC 4.0)