Book Review: Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History
By David Aaronovitch, Riverhead, Hardcover, 2010, 400 pages, $26.95
Do you believe the Apollo moon landing was a hoax? Are you sure, in your heart of hearts, that Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana were snuffed because they were embarrassments to powerful interests? Do you catch yourself reading email posts about the Illuminati, the Bilderbergers or the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? If you answered yes to any of the above you might not appreciate what author David Aaronovitch has to say: "I think a better definition of a conspiracy theory might be 'the attribution of deliberate agency to something that is more likely to be accidental or unintended.'"
"Voodoo Histories" is a comprehensive and intriguing exploration into conspiracy theories and the enormous impact they have had on human affairs. An experienced journalist and commentator who authors a regular column for The Times (UK), Aaronovitch successfully melds history and sociology together with a generous dash of psychology to try and explain why so many of us adopt unnecessarily complex narratives to explain historical events and phenomena.
The book is intentionally broad in scope. From Freemasonry and the Knights Templar to the "Da Vinci Code," to today's "birther" and "9-11 truther" movements, "Histories" methodically dissects and questions each conspiracy theory, wielding the well-worn analytical tool of scientists and philosophers known as "Occam's Razor," which the author defines as: "'Other things being equal, one hypothesis is more plausible than another if it involves fewer numbers of new assumptions.' Or, far more quotidian, 'keep it simple.'"
While Aaronovitch's analysis tends toward the dry and clinical, the book has several entertaining anecdotes, such as this one on the fantastical claims of extra-terrestrialist author Graham Hancock. "One American, writing about attending a Hancock illustrated lecture ... comments on the author's claim that the Gateway of the Sun at Tiahuanaco in Bolivia contains the carving of an elephant. Hancock's point was that the gateway dated from around the sixth century A.D., while the elephants in Bolivia had been extinct since the 11th century B.C. The American gentleman points out, perhaps with British humor, 'This is a carving of a parrot. ...'"
Aaronovitch is careful to differentiate between actual conspiracies -- "two or more people getting together to plot an illegal, secret, or immoral action" and "conspiracy theories," which are, in his view, pure conjecture. Conspiracies, by definition, are provable. (Think of Enron, Bernie Madoff and the Lincoln assassination.) If litigated they can -- and often do -- result in convictions for the perpetrators. Conspiracy theories, by contrast, are mere ideas, though, as the example of Sen. Joseph McCarthy shows, even ideas can be destructive: "While I cannot take the time to name all the men in the State Department who have been named as members of a spy ring, I have here in my hand a list of 205 ... that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party..."
One of the most interesting points Aaronovitch makes is how many conspiracy theories ascribe almost superhuman powers to the villains of the story. "According to [Lyndon] LaRouche, the world is dominated by a financial oligarchy centered on the City of London and partly directed by the British Establishment, headed, naturally, by the British royal family. The queen, among her other duties, is behind the world trade in narcotics, and not only did her retainers murder the People's Princess, but they have also planned to assassinate Lyndon LaRouche."
Many of the stories in the book present pretzel twists of logic that are positively Gordian Knots. Like the times when the mere fact a conspiracy theory is popular is offered up as proof of its veracity. "'According to a recent poll,' said the Independent, 'a third of the British public believes what happened to Diana was not an accident. This cannot be written off as a fringe belief.'"
In the end, much of Aaronovitch's gentle debunking of myths hinges on simple common sense. For example, about the conspiracy theory that Franklin Roosevelt caused or allowed the attack on Pearl Harbor, the author quotes historian Stephen Ambrose: "Teams of men were involved in breaking the Japanese diplomatic code in 1941; admirals and generals in Washington got the intelligence and took it to the President. They would have had to join him in a conspiracy. Can anyone believe that the admirals would have allowed their men and battleships to go down without a protest?"
Aaronovitch's "doubting Thomas" attitude is infectious. Siding with liberal thinker Noam Chomsky, who once said that in order to believe in a conspiracy theory, one must first accept that the supposed conspirators are capable of pulling it off, the author's skepticism is supported by his pointed observation that most actual conspirators just aren't that clever. "That Richard Nixon, the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, could not even manage to get a few incriminating tapes wiped clean exemplifies most real conspiracies."
"Voodoo Histories" is my favorite type of book: intelligent, thoughtfully written and well researched. It challenges assumptions and questions beliefs. Best of all, it provides the true skeptic with ammunition to defend oneself from the ubiquitous brother-in-law who persists in sending email links to sites that claim Bill Gates is trying to reduce world population by using vaccines to kill babies in Africa. No really, it's true: I found this site on the internet...
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