Modern ideologies

This semester we read Rosenblum and Muirfield’s book, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING. The authors introduced a new concept, “conspiracism,” that consists of conspiracy ideas that lack evidence, that are not “theoretical.” The authors isolated their new concept of conspiracism by contrasting it with The Declaration of Independence, an ideology based on evidence but not on direct knowledge. Students who read Danielle Allen’s book, OUR DECLARATION, A READING OF THE DECLARATION IN DEFENSE OF EQUALITY, know that Allen considers The Declaration as a product of “group writing” that produced a revolutionary ideology as well as a roadmap for the establishment of democratic governance. How do we reconcile these competing views on The Declaration?