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Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies
In London's Hyde Park, there's a place called Speaker's Corner, where anyone can preach or shriek anything they like. There have been famous and brilliant people who've made speeches there, and there have been an awful lot of cranks, wackos, and madmen in the park, too. So, how do you tell the difference between a cautionary reporter of impending calamity from a madman off his meds? Too little skepticism risks falling down the rabbit hole into a twisted wonderland of circular logic, but too much skepticism risks overlooking something critical that may become tomorrow's tragic headline.
Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies covers the most famous--and infamous--conspiracy theories throughout history, including the assassination of JFK, the death of Princess Diana, Area 51, Moon landing hoaxes, Elvis sightings, and the 9/11 "truth movement," along with secret societies like Freemasons, Skull and Bones, Rosicrucians, the Mafia, and Ninjas. Authors Christopher Hodapp ( Solomon's Builders, Freemasons For Dummies) and Alice Von Kannon ( The Templar Code For Dummies ) take you on a lively, balanced trip through the world of conspiracism and secrecy. "A conspiracy theory is the idea that someone, or a group of someones, acts secretly, with the goal of achieving power, wealth, influence, or other benefit. It can be as small as two petty thugs conspiring to stickup a liquor store, or as big as a group of revolutionaries plotting to take over their country's government. Individuals, corporations, churches, politicians, military leaders, and entire governments can all be conspirators, in plots as evil as secretly developing nuclear weapons, as creepy as smuggling stolen human transplant organs, or as annoying as cornering the world market on neighborhood $4-coffee joints. "Secret societies are the repositories of the hidden knowledge that spins the conspiracy theory. But the term secret society covers a lot of ground -- everything from college frats and the lodge your grandpa belonged to, to the lesser known, powerful groups that stay out of the eyes of the press, like the Bilderbergers, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the legendary Illuminati (if they really exist at all)."
Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies was required reading in a 2010 course on conspiracy at Harvard University.
Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies covers the most famous--and infamous--conspiracy theories throughout history, including the assassination of JFK, the death of Princess Diana, Area 51, Moon landing hoaxes, Elvis sightings, and the 9/11 "truth movement," along with secret societies like Freemasons, Skull and Bones, Rosicrucians, the Mafia, and Ninjas. Authors Christopher Hodapp ( Solomon's Builders, Freemasons For Dummies) and Alice Von Kannon ( The Templar Code For Dummies ) take you on a lively, balanced trip through the world of conspiracism and secrecy. "A conspiracy theory is the idea that someone, or a group of someones, acts secretly, with the goal of achieving power, wealth, influence, or other benefit. It can be as small as two petty thugs conspiring to stickup a liquor store, or as big as a group of revolutionaries plotting to take over their country's government. Individuals, corporations, churches, politicians, military leaders, and entire governments can all be conspirators, in plots as evil as secretly developing nuclear weapons, as creepy as smuggling stolen human transplant organs, or as annoying as cornering the world market on neighborhood $4-coffee joints. "Secret societies are the repositories of the hidden knowledge that spins the conspiracy theory. But the term secret society covers a lot of ground -- everything from college frats and the lodge your grandpa belonged to, to the lesser known, powerful groups that stay out of the eyes of the press, like the Bilderbergers, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the legendary Illuminati (if they really exist at all)."
Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies was required reading in a 2010 course on conspiracy at Harvard University.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2008
26 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
Christopher L. Hodapp
15 books44 followersChristopher L. Hodapp is the Public Relations director for the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana and the Editor Emeritus of the "Journal of The Masonic Society." He is the author of the best-selling "Freemasons For Dummies," and "Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C." His newest Masonic book, "Heritage Endures" was published in January 2018.
He is also the co-author with Alice Von Kannon of "RVs & Campers For Dummies," "The Templar Code For Dummies" and "Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies."
His "Freemasons For Dummies" blog is the world's most widely read source of national and international news about the Masonic fraternity.
Hodapp is a 33° Scottish Rite Freemason and a Knight Templar, and belongs to countless appendant Masonic bodies and research organizations. In 2010, he and Von Kannon developed episodes for the History Channel program, "Brad Meltzer's Decoded," and web content for TruTV. They have appeared on History, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and the American Heroes Channel, most recently on "America: Fact Vs. Fiction."
Chris spent more than twenty-five years editing, writing and directing as a commercial filmmaker for regional and national clients. He has written for corporate and non-profit programs, and his voice has appeared in many television and radio commercials. He is a popular speaker and appears on radio and TV, and at Masonic lodges and schools across North America.
Chris lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also the director of the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana, and served in 2019-21 as the Worshipful Master of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D.
He is also the co-author with Alice Von Kannon of "RVs & Campers For Dummies," "The Templar Code For Dummies" and "Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies."
His "Freemasons For Dummies" blog is the world's most widely read source of national and international news about the Masonic fraternity.
Hodapp is a 33° Scottish Rite Freemason and a Knight Templar, and belongs to countless appendant Masonic bodies and research organizations. In 2010, he and Von Kannon developed episodes for the History Channel program, "Brad Meltzer's Decoded," and web content for TruTV. They have appeared on History, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and the American Heroes Channel, most recently on "America: Fact Vs. Fiction."
Chris spent more than twenty-five years editing, writing and directing as a commercial filmmaker for regional and national clients. He has written for corporate and non-profit programs, and his voice has appeared in many television and radio commercials. He is a popular speaker and appears on radio and TV, and at Masonic lodges and schools across North America.
Chris lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also the director of the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana, and served in 2019-21 as the Worshipful Master of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 25, 2011
I hated it ... the author seems to be biased and kinda racist ! He states misleading information as facts... for example he says literally:
"The Protocols remain very popular in Islamic countries, including
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, where they’re handed out as texts for school children to study."
... well, I'm Egyptian and I know about the book from my readings .. I read it like anyone else! and btw .. I think it's a hoax :)
"The Protocols remain very popular in Islamic countries, including
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, where they’re handed out as texts for school children to study."
... well, I'm Egyptian and I know about the book from my readings .. I read it like anyone else! and btw .. I think it's a hoax :)
June 14, 2022
Why write a book on conspiracy theories if you think they are dumb?
October 23, 2022
El libro está escrito por un masón grado 32, partiendo de eso ya fue una red flag de falta de una visión neutral pero, aún así, decidí darle una oportunidad.
Pero, ya en las primeras líneas el autor empezó diciendo que las teorías conspirativas son una "forma de explicar la realidad". Como si fuera una fantasía de un grupo de personas simplemente filosofando.
La realidad es que las teorías conspirativas son versiones no oficiales de la historia. Surgieron a partir de personas que fueron miembros de sociedades secretas, organismos gubernamentales o científicos. Y cuentan su versión de los hechos en base a su propia experiencia, no es algo sacado de la galera. Incluso en la mayoría de los casos cuentan con pruebas muy tangibles, al punto que la versión oficial de la historia es la que suena como un invento. ¿Esto significa que todo sea verdad? Claro que no, pero tampoco significa que sea mentira. Una mente abierta sabe apreciar todas las versiones de la historia, no solo la que está mejor financiada.
Este libro es un recurso más para manipular a las personas, en lugar de, cuestionar y aportar una visión neutral y objetiva.
Pero, ya en las primeras líneas el autor empezó diciendo que las teorías conspirativas son una "forma de explicar la realidad". Como si fuera una fantasía de un grupo de personas simplemente filosofando.
La realidad es que las teorías conspirativas son versiones no oficiales de la historia. Surgieron a partir de personas que fueron miembros de sociedades secretas, organismos gubernamentales o científicos. Y cuentan su versión de los hechos en base a su propia experiencia, no es algo sacado de la galera. Incluso en la mayoría de los casos cuentan con pruebas muy tangibles, al punto que la versión oficial de la historia es la que suena como un invento. ¿Esto significa que todo sea verdad? Claro que no, pero tampoco significa que sea mentira. Una mente abierta sabe apreciar todas las versiones de la historia, no solo la que está mejor financiada.
Este libro es un recurso más para manipular a las personas, en lugar de, cuestionar y aportar una visión neutral y objetiva.
May 24, 2024
Essential reading for any high minded individual, willing to refuse conforming to society’s veil of propaganda. The only “dummies” are the blissfully ignorant pawns that probably spend their time playing Xbox. I’ll put $20 up, for anyone reading this post, that you couldn’t beat the cpu on all-madden! I could easily do it, consistently, if I wasn’t spending my free time reading many MANY books. But I digress.
Read this book!
Read this book!
May 26, 2024
This book was a bit of a surprise for me in that it took so long to read. There were some very interesting sections, but I made the mistake of reading it like a book from cover to cover.
Also, a couple of sections were a bit repetitive, but I think that good use of the Table of Contents would have avoided that.
Overall, not a bad read, but you could probably find more relevant and timely information by searching online.
Also, a couple of sections were a bit repetitive, but I think that good use of the Table of Contents would have avoided that.
Overall, not a bad read, but you could probably find more relevant and timely information by searching online.
November 19, 2021
The book is a general introduction to the subject. You'll have to look elsewhere if a specific conspiracy piques your interest. It wa quite entertaining. I would read by interest and not cover to cover.
September 19, 2020
Book makes a good argument. Got me all paranoid. I think those secret societies bastahds is out to get meh!
February 15, 2023
Sloppy scholarship
May 6, 2016
Book Review (2)
The book I have chosen for this book review is called Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies.
This book isn’t just one single topic, it varies from aliens and abnormal creatures to government and the illuminati. I liked this book mainly because things such as conspiracy theories interest me. I like to know about things that most people don’t know, I mean if something were to happen in between the boundaries of any type of conspiracy theory I would know what was going on and then most other people wouldn’t have a single clue what was going on, I pretty much just like to know the unknown. I found the formating of this book very interesting too, all of the conspiracies and secret societies are in ABC order and are very organized so it is easy to find which subject you want to read about right away. My favorite section of the book is the “AIDS/HIV Conspiracy” which is the first conspiracy you are introduced to. The book states “Conspiracy theorists argue that AIDS did not come out of Africa, but out of secret government laboratories that created this and other terrible weapons of biological warfare” (Steiger, 1). There also selections about supernatural species, creatures from outer space are mentioned multiple times. The fourth section of the book is called “Alien Autopsy” this section states “Millions of men and women are being abducted by extraterrestrials and forced to endure medical examinations aboard spaceships in order to determine their eligibility for alien-human crossbreeding experiments. Preparatory to a global invasion of earth, aliens are creating hybrids to serve as a fifth column within the human populations” (Steiger, 8). A lot of these Conspiracies aren’t anything that you would really expect but once you read them you can see how they would all make sense or come together and lead back to a certain person, place, or a thing. There also thing about this book that I didn’t like too. I didn’t like how the conspiracies completely switched topics and had nothing to do with the one before it topic wise, it would go from government to black magic to murders to aliens and it would never stay on anything related I think the topics should stay consistent, it should go from all alien topics to all government and political topics, etc. The other thing I didn’t really like about this book Is that some of the selections didn’t really seem like conspiracy theories to me, they seemed more like stories. Over all I liked this book a lot and I am very glad that I took the time to read it, the book was interesting, and it had everything required to be good book in my opinion. I recommend readers who are interested in this type of stuff to pick up this book and take a look at it, it’s a very thought out, interesting, and educational book if you ask me. (this only applies to people who are interested in these types of things).
The book I have chosen for this book review is called Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies.
This book isn’t just one single topic, it varies from aliens and abnormal creatures to government and the illuminati. I liked this book mainly because things such as conspiracy theories interest me. I like to know about things that most people don’t know, I mean if something were to happen in between the boundaries of any type of conspiracy theory I would know what was going on and then most other people wouldn’t have a single clue what was going on, I pretty much just like to know the unknown. I found the formating of this book very interesting too, all of the conspiracies and secret societies are in ABC order and are very organized so it is easy to find which subject you want to read about right away. My favorite section of the book is the “AIDS/HIV Conspiracy” which is the first conspiracy you are introduced to. The book states “Conspiracy theorists argue that AIDS did not come out of Africa, but out of secret government laboratories that created this and other terrible weapons of biological warfare” (Steiger, 1). There also selections about supernatural species, creatures from outer space are mentioned multiple times. The fourth section of the book is called “Alien Autopsy” this section states “Millions of men and women are being abducted by extraterrestrials and forced to endure medical examinations aboard spaceships in order to determine their eligibility for alien-human crossbreeding experiments. Preparatory to a global invasion of earth, aliens are creating hybrids to serve as a fifth column within the human populations” (Steiger, 8). A lot of these Conspiracies aren’t anything that you would really expect but once you read them you can see how they would all make sense or come together and lead back to a certain person, place, or a thing. There also thing about this book that I didn’t like too. I didn’t like how the conspiracies completely switched topics and had nothing to do with the one before it topic wise, it would go from government to black magic to murders to aliens and it would never stay on anything related I think the topics should stay consistent, it should go from all alien topics to all government and political topics, etc. The other thing I didn’t really like about this book Is that some of the selections didn’t really seem like conspiracy theories to me, they seemed more like stories. Over all I liked this book a lot and I am very glad that I took the time to read it, the book was interesting, and it had everything required to be good book in my opinion. I recommend readers who are interested in this type of stuff to pick up this book and take a look at it, it’s a very thought out, interesting, and educational book if you ask me. (this only applies to people who are interested in these types of things).
September 15, 2009
I should take Bryon (the husband) to the library with me more often. He always seems to pick up books I wouldn't have given a second glance. Like this one. Totally not my thing, but then surprisingly amusing and informative.
Really, when dealing with crazies, I think it pays to have an idea where they're coming from. Plus, as far as secret societies go, this was a totally common feature of aristocratic and then middle class society up until a few decades ago. Oh! And I learned all about the competing theories concerning JFK's assasination. Prior to this book my sum of knowledge on the subject came entirely from that one Seinfeld episode.
The author is decidedly normal, while remaining as even-handed as you can be when dealing with certifiable loons. Sadly, he could have used a better editor (for grammar and just basic proof-reading) but nothing that will prevent you from truly enjoying this book.
Really, when dealing with crazies, I think it pays to have an idea where they're coming from. Plus, as far as secret societies go, this was a totally common feature of aristocratic and then middle class society up until a few decades ago. Oh! And I learned all about the competing theories concerning JFK's assasination. Prior to this book my sum of knowledge on the subject came entirely from that one Seinfeld episode.
The author is decidedly normal, while remaining as even-handed as you can be when dealing with certifiable loons. Sadly, he could have used a better editor (for grammar and just basic proof-reading) but nothing that will prevent you from truly enjoying this book.
February 22, 2009
An entertaining overview of real and imagined societies and conspiracies in the U.S. and western Europe.
The authors cover a lot of ground, and debunk many myths and misunderstandings. They also point out that people are naturally drawn to theories of why things happen. I found the historical background on modern groups to be particularly interesting.
The chapters are short and easy to read, but there is a lot of material here.
The authors cover a lot of ground, and debunk many myths and misunderstandings. They also point out that people are naturally drawn to theories of why things happen. I found the historical background on modern groups to be particularly interesting.
The chapters are short and easy to read, but there is a lot of material here.
August 26, 2008
I learned surprisingly little considering that I didn't know much about the subject in the first place.
April 15, 2009
Workmanlike writing (with a smattering of funny asides) but they seem to cover the territory pretty well.
June 24, 2013
Awesome book looking into and even disproving many conspiracy theories, esp. the 9/11 ones.
March 24, 2016
Very interesting companion to the OLLI course.
August 31, 2018
Entering the world of conspiracy theories and secret societies is like stepping into a distant, parallel universe where the laws of physics have completely changed: black means white, up is down, and if you want to understand what’s really going on, you need a good reference book. That’s where Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies comes in.
Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, this fascinating guide, packed with the latest information, walks you through some of the most infamous conspiracy theories — such as Area 51 and the assassination of JFK — and introduces you to such mysterious organizations as the Freemasons, the Ninjas, the Mafia, and Rosicrucians. This behind-the-curtain guide helps you separate fact from fiction and helps you the global impact of these mysterious events and groups on our modern world. Discover how to:
Test a conspiracy theory
Spot a sinister secret society
Assess the Internet’s role in fueling conspiracy theories
Explore world domination schemes
Evaluate 9/11 conspiracy theories
Figure out who “they” are
Grasp the model on which conspiracy theories are built
Figure out whether what “everybody knows” is true
Distinguish on assassination brotherhood from another
Understand why there’s no such thing as a “lone assassin”
Why do hot dogs come in packages of ten, while buns come in eight-packs? Everybody knows its a conspiracy, right? Find out in Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies.
**
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews