Rejecting Reality
Conspiracy Theories from an Era of Suspicion
Ronald H. FritzeA history of modern conspiracy theories and their social consequences
Conspiracy theories have long shaped public debate, but how do they originate and why do they persist? Rejecting Reality traces the origins and evolution of four of the most influential conspiracy theories of recent decades: anti-vaccination movements, QAnon, UFOs and claims surrounding COVID-19. Using historical case studies, the book shows how these ideas emerged, adapted and spread, with proponents often drawing from questionable assumptions that governments and institutions are engaged in deception. Ronald H. Fritze examines the appeal of such narratives while assessing their credibility and consequences and how they promote scepticism, distrust and division in general society. Clear-eyed and engaging, Rejecting Reality encourages readers to apply the same critical scrutiny to conspiracy theories that they apply to official claims, highlighting the importance of evidence in public life.
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Ronald H. Fritze does something more useful than simply dismiss conspiracy theories: he puts them in historical context. Rejecting Reality shows how suspicion can harden into belief, how belief can become resistant to evidence, and how distrust can spread through a society. Clear, engaging, and deeply researched, this is a timely argument for skepticism without cynicism – and for the critical thinking and intellectual honesty a healthy public life requires.
'Prentice T. Chandler, The University of Tennessee Southern
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As Ronald H. Fritze reveals in his gripping account of conspiracies, conspiracy theories, and conspiracists, the belief that someone or some group somewhere out there is planning to gain an illegal or immoral advantage over others is remarkably common, highly influential, and often history making. Rejecting Reality belongs on the bookshelf of all thinking people.
'Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine and author of Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational
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At a time when the boundary between evidence and fantasy often seems perilously thin, Ronald H. Fritze offers a masterful history of both real conspiracies and conspiracy thinking, rich in historical detail and attuned to contemporary concerns. Essential reading before your next trip down the rabbit hole.
'David Černín, University of Ostrava, Czechia, co-editor of The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Philosophy of the Historical Sciences and Big History
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Conspiracy theories are not harmless eccentricities. They undermine public health, corrode trust in institutions, intensify social division and weaken our ability to agree on reality itself. Lucid, wide-ranging and often witty, Ronald H. Fritze’s Rejecting Reality demonstrates why their consequences demand to be taken seriously.
'Gregory C. McIntosh, author of The Piri Reis Map of 1513
Introduction
Chapter One: The Varieties of the Conspiracy and Conspiracy Theories Experience
Chapter Two: The First Horseman of the Apocalypse: Epidemics, Pandemics, and Conspiracy Theories
Chapter Three: Making the Cure Worse than the Disease: Vaccine Conspiracy Theories
Chapter Four: QAnondyssey: The Conspiratorial Saga of an Internet Conspiracy Theory
Chapter Five: Flying Saucers, UFOs, and UAPs, Oh Dear! Close Encounters of the Conspiracy Theory Kind
Conclusion
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Ronald H. Fritze is Professor Emeritus of History and Religion at Athens State University, Alabama. He is the author or editor of twelve books, including Hope and Fear: Modern Myths, Conspiracy Theories and Pseudo-History (Reaktion, 2022).
