Detective fiction author Anthony Santoro has been conducting his own investigation into fiction masquerading as truth - the much maligned conspiracy theory.

History tells us that Charles Baudelaire, the French poet, was first to explain that the Devil’s best trick was to persuade us all that he didn’t exist. (Le Joueur généreux pub. February 7, 1864.
And, like all good things of art, it has been copied and applied to life.  This very phrase, for example, has been uttered by the odd avid Christian to convince those ignorant of the evils of the world that, indeed, there is a source for all that is bad.

Many years have passed since these words were first written, but the flavour of their content is by no means any different.  Today, perhaps, it is more true than ever.

Regardless of Baudelaire’s intention – his words back then being more about him meeting the Devil and having a great ol’ time – the climate of the world, especially since 9/11, has given rise to more than just one or two conspiracy theories.  Indeed, there are so many such theories that they satiate the information mediums of television and internet and have become, by their variety, flair and abundance, quite unbelievable.

To know anything about anything, one need only be told of it.  Knowledge is not necessarily truth, but since truth cannot be obtained without it, it’s a very necessary ingredient.

Knowledge is obtained, always, by perception: whether that be hearing, seeing, reading, experiencing...etc.  The determination of the truth of the knowledge is the province of the listener or the audience, not the teller.  Knowledge, once received, is tested against experience and other facts to determine its truth.

The flaw with conspiracy theories is that they are not always heard, seen or read by people with the mind to understand that what they have just perceived is only knowledge and that it requires their personal investigation to determine its truth.

9/11 is a perfect example.  Some time after the events, two intrepid students assembled a significant documentary called Loose Change.  Whether or not the content was true or a hypothetical fabrication is beside the point – the film was disseminated far and wide and garnered an overwhelming response.  People everywhere were now talking about how the WTC buildings crumbled not because terrorists smashed hijacked aeroplanes into them but because of a complex scheme of underhanded events choreographed by the US Government to undermine the rights of its citizens.

See, it’s a mouthful, isn’t it.  True or false – it didn’t matter.  People were propagating this and it wasn’t long before conspiracy theories saturated the planet to the point where, now, they are somewhat trite and regarded with disdain.

However, as with most things that achieve media saturation (Popstars, Jamie Oliver...and, sadly, yoyos and the skateboard with wings), conspiracy theories have become ignored.  It’s the law of abundance: things that are too prominent are not as valuable as a rarity.  It’s not that they are untrue, necessarily, but because they are everywhere.  And with saturation, the Internet and the fact that anyone that has a conspiratorial idea can post it on the net (where anything imaginable is admissible) the theories themselves have become incredulous – unbelievable.

According to some keen bloggers and conspiracy hounds, the Royal Family and George Bush are alien lizards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilian_humanoid#cite_note-6).

You wouldn’t believe it...no one would.  Yet, it’s there, on the Internet.  It’s accessible information.

But, who am I to deem this the most ludicrous fiction since “Alf for PM”?  ...but, to the average humanoid, this is more than just a little far-fetched.  Right now, you can hear sensible people scoffing.

If I was a conspirator in 2008 – alien or not – I’d be setting cabals in every sector, the most obvious and unbelievable ones, too.  No one would believe anyone who pointed their finger at me.  And, if they did, I’d say, “Sure, yeah, I’m an alien just tryin’a take over the world.”  Naturally, everyone would laugh in disbelief and I’d go about my business conquering the globe and redistributing the human’s wealth among my alien friends.

Today, the same tact could be applied by the guilty parties.  Conspiracy theories can be dismissed as just that: theories.  Watertight facts are the only thing that could sink any conspirator’s ship.  Facts are truth, facts are irresistible.

Without facts, it’s smooth sailing for the conspirator.

You see – the Devil cannot be exposed if no one believes in him anymore.  Now, more than ever, his tactics can be so obvious, so flagrant, so conspicuous and he need not fear recrimination because in the minds of the average Joe citizens of the Earth, he doesn’t even exist.  Without the presentation of facts to prove out his existence no one will agree to his sentiency.

Without a fact, any theory will remain incredulous.

What a great time to be the devil.

The remedy is the Conspiracy Factualist.

The current global financial “disaster” situation has almost gone without impingement from conspiracy theorists upon main stream societal thinking, as it did after 9/11.  Perhaps this is because almost everyone is embroiled in it, caring little to hear the theorists’ imminent “I told you so” commentaries.

The beauty of the financial sector is that it is so well documented that it can be proven out in fact, as opposed to the “controlled demolition of the WTC buildings” theory.

Here’s a little Wikipedia/Zeitgeist research idea to kick it all off.  Find out:  Who, ultimately, owns the money that we borrow?  Where does it come from?  What happens when, on a global scale, those that borrow it cannot pay it back?  Will ownership of the products purchased fall to those that own the money if payments default?  What happens when, on a global scale, local banks fold under the strain of unpaid debts?  What entities would benefit most from the destruction of the current global financial sector?

And, just for a laugh, try and define for yourself “economics” and then “inflation”.

This idea is an embryonic one so please do not write in complaining of my short-sighted, uninformed questions.  They are just questions, designed particularly for the uninitiated to only get the ball rolling and to wade through their own answers to discover what is truth and what is fiction...for them.

Wikipedia and Zeitgeist will only furnish information from which you must deduce whether it is fact or not for it to be of any use.  If you do find yourself with a mere theory, study it further until you either keep it as a fact or discard it as an untruth or just a possibility.

Knowledge is about looking.  Fact arrives when knowledge is tested.

You may never discover anything if you don’t look.  The Devil has never been found because people stopped looking for him.  So, please do start looking and think hard about what you find.

Anthony Santoro is the author of the Mike Felice series of detective novels and is the founder of the Writers' Resource Centre. Read more about Anthony Santoro at the About Us page. His current acclaimed book on writing is Get Your Book off the Ground. Read the review or buy the book. Anthony's next novel, Last Decent Man, is due in stores in September 2009 (Bas Publishing).