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Political, social and ethical aspects of conspiracy theories
HNÁTEK, Martin
The thesis deals with the concept of conspiracy theories in the context of society, psychology, political science and ethics. In connection with these areas there was created a framework of relevant subtopics that fall under the phenomenon of conspiracy theories. This thesis is divided into five parts. The firts part is dealing with connspiracy theories as a concept and presents its definition, typology and historical occurrence. Next chapter is devoted to the mutual relationship of conspiracy thinking and society, and how conspiracy theories acquiring its popularity. The following sections deals with the influence of psychological disorders on conspiracy belief, how conspiracies influence the political sphere and the last chapter deals with ethical evaluation of conspiracy theories impact.
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"The Grand Conspiracy: A Lacanian Reading of Contemporary Conspiracy Theories"
Bohal, Vít ; Armand, Louis (advisor) ; Vichnar, David (referee)
The numerous and varied conspiracy theories which circulate in the contemporary discourse are subject to hyperstition, insofar as they are grouped into wider, more elaborate structures. Some of them become hierarchic to such a degree, that they may, in Michael Barkun's typology, be labeled as "superconspiracy" constructs. No author is more prolific and systematic in the crafting of these constructs than the guru of anglophone conspiracy theory belief, David Icke. The work attempts to keep as its object of study the work of David Icke and his "reptoid hypothesis," as it is effectively one of the most elaborate and baroque conspiracy theories which populate contemporary political discourse. It is Icke's oeuvre which this thesis attempts to recontextualize within the confines of critical social theory and Žižekian psychoanalysis. The existence of a "paranoid style" as professed by Richard J. Hofstadter can be noted throughout the history of western culture, from the Homeric gods, scheming behind the scenes, to its modern incarnations culminating in the superconspiracy constructs of David Icke, Alex Jones, and others. The work focuses not on specific conspiracy theories and their claim to facticity, but rather attempts to trace the structural features of Icke's construct and establish their underlying...
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Religious and political dimension of Petr Hájek's thinking
VRÁNEK, Matěj
The thesis deals with religion, political and conspiratorial dimension of Petr Hájek's thinking. The main purpose of thesis is seamlessly interdouce these interrelated dimensions of Hájek thought. The religious part is aiming on Christianity in Hájek´s thought, on its historical menaing for Western civilizations, on its modern rejection and on apocalyptic prospect of contemporary Western civilization. Political part interdouces Hájek´s opinions on democracy, political right and political left, on the current political situation and his own political program. Conspiratorial part shows Hájek in his conspiratorial theoris according to which contemporary society is manipulated in the interests of governing group.
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Conspiracy Theories and Disinformation in the Islamic World from the Perspective of Western Countries and Their Foreign Policy
Scheiner, Miroslav ; Havlová, Radka (advisor) ; Dubský, Zbyněk (referee)
This Master's thesis deals with conspiracy theories and disinformation, a topic received with insufficient attention in the field of international relations. The phenomenon constitutes one of the most distinctive features of the Islamic world; therefore, it has significant importance for the Western foreign policy towards the region. The thesis is divided into four chapters and aims to provide Western countries with a set of foreign-policy recommendations in relation to the phenomenon of conspiracy theories and disinformation in the Islamic world. The thesis does so on the basis of a thorough analysis of the general mechanisms of conspiracy theories (1st chapter), and the specific conditions and circumstances of their emergence and dissemination in the Islamic world (2nd chapter). The study of the case of Aafia Siddiqui (3rd chapter) leads to the conclusion that the implication of conspiracy theories and disinformation in the activities of Islamic extremist groups represents a serious security threat for the Western countries, which the current policy leaves with no adequate response (4th chapter). As an outcome, the thesis proposes ten basic principles which should serve to the Western countries as a guideline for their approach to conspiracy theories and disinformation in the Islamic world. The main import of this thesis lies in it being one of the first attempts with regard to the researched topic to perform a comprehensive analysis with practical outcomes.
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Causes of creation and impacts of conspiracy theories: a case study of the culture and the political environment of the USA
Scheiner, Miroslav ; Knotková, Vladimíra (advisor) ; Dubský, Zbyněk (referee)
Conspiracy theories make an impression of irrational constructs. Their origin and essence, however, have a highly rational explanation. Understanding conspiracy as a major motive force of the key historical events has its roots in a natural human perception of the world order. Such a view of reality is particularly widespread in the U.S. This thesis uses its example to identify sources of conspiracy beliefs stemming from culture, political environment and influence of new medias. The thesis also examines impacts of conspiracy theories in the U.S. It does so by pointing out their capability of determining players' actions, undermining the american government's activities, manipulating public opinion and instigating violence.
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The Life cycle of in information about extraordinary events
Šafránková, Klára ; Toman, Prokop (advisor) ; Sigmund, Tomáš (referee)
The awareness of people is a widely discussed topic nowadays. In recent years it became necessary to judge not only the content of an information source but its trustworthiness as well. However, determining the trustworthiness of information is a very difficult task and is the main goal of analysis in this thesis. This thesis deals with the biggest human tragedy and information manipulation. The goal of this thesis is the analysis of information published about the unique event, which happened on the 11th of September 2001. The thesis contains the analysis of interpretation and development of information about this event as published in printed and internet mass media. The first part of this thesis contains the explanation of basic terms and the description of said event. The bulk of this thesis deals with the analysis of said event and the analysis of the development from 11th September 2001 until now. News will be evaluated and compared based on its content, trustworthiness and most importantly its development.
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