Project Title
A Lacanian Psychoanalytic view on Conspiracy Theories
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Mark Causey
Abstract
This presentation is a brief and edited snippet from my full-length book, Conspiracy and the Subject (2023). This presentation approaches contemporary conspiracy theories through the primary lens of Lacanian psychoanalysis aided by the philosophical tradition of G.W.F. Hegel. A conspiracy theory relays the belief that symbolic authorities like the government and media deceive individuals from a supposed position of complete knowledge, meaning that individuals who ascribe to conspiracy theories implicitly have the belief that symbolic authorities are so powerful that deception is a purposeful strategy from them. What conspiratorial individuals do not realize is that the true deception of symbolic authorities is that they are not purposive organisms that act as one. There is an array of diverting influences in every symbolic authority. After laying the groundwork by introducing the above, a short case-study on Ye West is provided. This case-study particularly focuses on his retreat into antisemitic conspiracy theories in Fall 2022. Ye's formal diagnosis of BPD is first understood in a manner that ties into what Lacan refers to as the "disavowal of the Law." After contextualizing his diagnosis in a psychoanalytic framework, two interviews that Ye participated in, where he was proliferating antisemitic conspiracy theories, are examined. These interviews bring to light further developments that are then used in this case study to further grasp the link between Ye's psychosis and the self-acceptance of conspiratorial thinking. The case study of Ye West demonstrates on an individual scale, the validity and strength of a psychoanalytic approach to understanding the phenomenon of conspiracy theories.
A Lacanian Psychoanalytic view on Conspiracy Theories
This presentation is a brief and edited snippet from my full-length book, Conspiracy and the Subject (2023). This presentation approaches contemporary conspiracy theories through the primary lens of Lacanian psychoanalysis aided by the philosophical tradition of G.W.F. Hegel. A conspiracy theory relays the belief that symbolic authorities like the government and media deceive individuals from a supposed position of complete knowledge, meaning that individuals who ascribe to conspiracy theories implicitly have the belief that symbolic authorities are so powerful that deception is a purposeful strategy from them. What conspiratorial individuals do not realize is that the true deception of symbolic authorities is that they are not purposive organisms that act as one. There is an array of diverting influences in every symbolic authority. After laying the groundwork by introducing the above, a short case-study on Ye West is provided. This case-study particularly focuses on his retreat into antisemitic conspiracy theories in Fall 2022. Ye's formal diagnosis of BPD is first understood in a manner that ties into what Lacan refers to as the "disavowal of the Law." After contextualizing his diagnosis in a psychoanalytic framework, two interviews that Ye participated in, where he was proliferating antisemitic conspiracy theories, are examined. These interviews bring to light further developments that are then used in this case study to further grasp the link between Ye's psychosis and the self-acceptance of conspiratorial thinking. The case study of Ye West demonstrates on an individual scale, the validity and strength of a psychoanalytic approach to understanding the phenomenon of conspiracy theories.