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Conspiracies Declassified: The Skeptoid Guide to the Truth Behind the Theories by [Brian Dunning]

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Brian Dunning

Conspiracies Declassified: The Skeptoid Guide to the Truth Behind the Theories Kindle Edition

by Brian Dunning (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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A collection of the wildest conspiracies to ever exist, from mind control experiments to lizard people, this book explores, debunks—and sometimes proves—the secret stories that don’t quite make it into the history books.

What’s fact and what’s fiction? With conspiracy theories, sometimes it’s hard to get to the truth!

In Conspiracies Declassified, author and expert skeptic Brian Dunning explains fifty true stories of famous conspiracies throughout history. From the moon landing hoax, to chemtrails, to the mind control dangers of fluoride, Dunning is here to sort the truth from the lies to tell you what really happened.

Print length

257 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Adams Media
Publication date

June 5, 2018
File size

1731 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“What Brian Dunning does brilliantly here is give readers a framework for how to analyze conspiracy theory claims, [a way] to know which conspiracy theories are likely to be true or false or indeterminable. A must-have addition to the book shelves of all concerned citizens.” (Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, and monthly columnist for Scientific American.)

“In today’s murky world of social media and fake news, how can we know what is true and what is phony? Brian Dunning cuts through the misinformation to get to the truth of our most popular conspiracy theories. He brings the best arguments and evidence to bear—and the results will surprise you.” (Dr. Joe Uscinski, coauthor of American Conspiracy Theories. )

"Is Conspiracies Declassified for you? Poke your head out from under your bed and find out." (The Oregonian)

About the Author

Brian Dunning is a science writer and the current host and producer of the podcast Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena (Skeptoid.com). He has lectured on conspiracy theories at universities nationwide and in Germany and Australia, including an annual appearance at a national security course at American University in Washington DC. He has appeared on numerous radio shows and television documentaries, and also hosts the science video series inFact with Brian Dunning. He is a member of the National Association of Science Writers. He lives in Bend, Oregon. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075RTRNK1
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Adams Media (June 5, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 5, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1731 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #481,531 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #521 in Media Studies (Kindle Store)
- #2,776 in Communication & Media Studies
- #2,931 in World History (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
269 ratings

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Brian Dunning

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Science writer Brian Dunning is the host and producer of the Skeptoid podcast (skeptoid.com) with a weekly audience of 150,000+ listeners, and the author of seven books on scientific skepticism. He is the writer and presenter of the documentary films Here Be Dragons (herebedragonsmovie.com) and Principles of Curiosity (principlesofcuriosity.com). He has appeared on numerous radio shows and television documentaries, and also hosts the science video series inFact with Brian Dunning (infactvideo.com). A computer scientist by trade, Brian uses new media to showcase the rewards of science and critical thinking. He is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and lives in central Oregon with his family.

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Top reviews from the United States

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Brett Mesmer

Conspiracies Declassified is an excellent introduction to skepticism with regard to conspiracy theories.

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2018

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Conspiracies Declassified is an excellent introduction to skepticism with regard to conspiracy theories. It goes over virtually every conspiracy theory I can think of and it does it in an entertaining, easy to read way. I haven't been able to put it down.

That said, while the book is great, it's important to know what you're getting. First, you're not going to get a really in-depth analysis of any given conspiracy theory. Conspiracies Declassified, due to the huge number of conspiracies covered, is focused on getting the most important facts and arguments analyzed in only 3-4 pages per "theory." For most people, that's more than enough, but if you were looking for an in-depth breakdown of major theories, this isn't the book for it.

The other aspect I wanted to address is that this book has an overarching pro-evidence and pro-logic perspective which will frustrate some readers sympathetic to conspiracy theories. Those looking to have their preexisting beliefs about conspiracy theories reinforced have many books to choose from, but this isn't one of them.

What I'd like to see in the future from Dunning is a book that picks perhaps the top ten conspiracy theories and goes into them in much greater detail in each, something that's just not possible when you're covering the huge number of topics that this book does.

I think there are two ways to use this book, and two reasons you might want it. The first is entertainment. If you're a skeptic then I think you'll find it very enjoyable, and the writing is easy to follow in what very well might have been a dense chore from an inferior author. The second reason you may want to pick this up is as a quick reference to any given conspiracy theory you are likely to encounter.

For myself, I read it for pleasure, and also as a good refresher course on some of the more obscure conspiracy theories I'd long ago forgotten about.

19 people found this helpful

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Daniel Murphy

Skeptical and serious examination of conspiracy theories

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2018

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This book should be the starting point for any discussion of conspiracy theories. Brian Dunning approaches each one by laying out the evidence and discussing it in a serious-minded way, without any jerking knees. You will learn something new from each of his discussions of around fifty conspiracy theories he tackles here. Whether you're a believer in these things or a skeptic, this is the must-have book from which to begin your exploration of conspiracy claims. If your uncle believes 9/11 was an inside job, this is the book you should buy him for his birthday or Christmas.

18 people found this helpful

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Sean Marshall

A good primer

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2018

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This book probably won’t change the mind of any hardcore conspiracy believer, and those of a more skeptical mindset probably don’t believe the conspiracies already. This book isn’t really for either of those groups (though skeptics may enjoy it as a handy summary, and the writing is entertaining enough to be a good read). Those that would get the most benefit from this book are those who have not yet gone down the rabbit hole of conspiracy lunacy, but who have heard about the conspiracies and aren’t sure what to believe. For those people, this book gives enough information so that they can know the basic truth behind the claims and will help point them in the right direction if they want to learn more.

Once I have finished reading my copy, I plan on donating it to my local library in the hopes that it will help steer others away from some of the all to prevalent misinformation that’s out there.

14 people found this helpful

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Harold A. Geller

Debunking 50 Urban Legends

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2018

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This is a well-researched debunking of 50 of the most world renowned urban legends on the internet. As an astrobiology professor I routinely deal with urban legends related to Mars and the landing on the Moon. The author spends a little more than 4 pages on the former and a little less than 4 on the latter. In both cases the author displays brevity and demonstrates that he has a good handle on the facts of the situation. I would recommend this little volume for the desk of any professor who has to deal with students who come to their office with questions from such "theories" and seek answers while standing on one foot.

11 people found this helpful

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gary w petersen

all theories are BS

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2019

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Dunning may be a paid debunker. He lumps rediculous cases like Elvis being alive and claims that Oswald was the lone gunman and that Roswell never happened. If you believe that then you don't need to read the book. If you don't believe it than it's even a bigger waste of time. Skip this one, it won't take you anywhere. Ps he does admit the gov experimented with dolphins and mind control.

4 people found this helpful

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Michael Marsh

Great overview of many different conspiracy theories

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2018

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I've been a Skeptoid supporter for years, and took advantage of the preorder option so that I could get my hands on it as soon as possible. I just finished reading it, and it was an extremely enjoyable read. Brian Dunning goes into sufficient detail about each conspiracy theory to give you a sense of the ideas behind it and why that theory isn't supported by the evidence, yet manages to keep each one to about 4 or 5 pages. He covers theories across a wide range of topics, providing a great survey of the conspiracy theory space.

11 people found this helpful

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Pete12345

A thorough yet easy read

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2020

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Brian Dunning is the Internet king of debunking all manner of myths, urban legends, conspiracy theories, and more. His weekly podcast Skeptoid and accompanying website are invaluable resources for anyone who wants to know and defend the truth behind the fanciful stories. Having been an admirer for many years, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book, and it did not disappoint. It is a thorough treatment of the topic and very accessible to an average reader. Each topic is only a few pages long, making it an excellent read for when you only have a few minutes at a time. But be warned: it's so engaging, you'll have trouble putting it down until you've reached the end.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Tbo

Good Easy Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2020

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Easy read entertaining book you can finish in a few sessions. Admittedly, it will not persuade a committed conspiracy theorist of anything, other than Brian Dunning works fo the man or is a ‘shill’. A Good read for those who have a passing interest in the general gambit of conspiracy theories that abound on Social Media. Written in an approachable format, this book offers enough rational explanation to stop people from being drawn into the ludicrous and whacky world of conspiracy theoist in the first place. Covers most of the usual suspects including 911, Bilderberg, New world order, the Moon landings and even throws in Paul McCartney. Well laid out in an easy read format that can be browsed at your leisure

2 people found this helpful

Dennis M. Harrington

This book should be compulsory reading in all schools...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2020

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Brian Dunning presents a thorough but easily-read debunk of some of the conspiracy theories doing their rounds for decades on social media, TV and urban myth. Moon Landings, Flat Earth, 9/11, Holocaust Denial and, crucially, conspiracy theories that turned out to be TRUE.
The introduction has a very important lesson in 'Falsifiability' and is in itself a good intro to skepticism.
BTW, for more of the same, listen to his weekly podcast at Skeptoid.com. Each podcast usually covers one subject, and if you search there you can find out about a particular incident or pseudoscience or conspiracy.

3 people found this helpful

F Delea

A skeptical look at famous conspiracy theories

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2020

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Brian hosts the highly enjoyable weekly Skeptoid podcast which takes a critical look at various urban myths, conspiracies, pseudoscience topics etc. In this book he casts his skeptical eye over 50 of the best known and most widely repeated and sometimes hilarious (My friend who lives in Helsinki was quite surprised to learn that Finland apparently doesn't exist) conspiracy theories. He explains the history behind the theory and then takes a calm rational look at the evidence for and against each theory.

This is a great read if you've ever been curious about where some of these conspiracies came from. In this day and age when various theories get widely circulated over social media (and sometimes reported in the media as if they're fact) books like this are extremely important to help sort through the actual facts from the woo. Highly recommended

2 people found this helpful

mokajo

Enlightening & Entertaining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2020

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The real value of this book is not in the "declassification" of known and less known conspiracy theories, but in the process used to do it. It was inspiring to follow along as Brian Dunning applied the staples of critical thinking to these theories and urban legends.

"Although many obvious facts don't seem worth explaining, it's always interesting to learn how we know what we know."

My favorite piece of trivia? How the alleged time capsule control pad with strange buttons in the Denver Airport –which conspiracy theorist think is the head quarters for the New World Order– is actually the braille translation of the words inscribed on the capsule's plaque.

The only critique I have is that the content is very U.S. centric. As someone who's lived across Europe and Australia, I would have liked more international range of theories. I guess I'll have to wait for the sequel.

Paul De Belder

An encyclopedia of conspiracy theories, thoroughly and gently debunked.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 29, 2020

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Brian Dunning has a knack for analyzing and researching any mystery or strange theory, and coming up with a well-supported explanation, without cutting corners. For debunking to meet its goal of convincing the largest number of people, it must be gentle, respectful and well documented. Covering 50 conspiracy theories in 4 to 5 pages each is a challenge. There are hundreds or thousands of gullible web pages devoted to most of them. Some of the subjects could therefore do with a more in depth analysis, but there are plenty of suggestions for further reading in an appendix. This book is an excellent introduction to the most popular conspiracies, and why they are false.

3 people found this helpful

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