To be considered "proven", sure, maybe. But no such thing is needed to merely consider an idea. Look at all the "facts" that have widespread belief, look at all the "not exactly accurate" various organizations broadcast, that turn into very strongly believed "facts" in the public mind.
There's so much obvious lying going on nowadays, and so many perfectly reasonable concerns dismissed as conspiracy theories, that that phrase no longer has any negative connotations for me. In fact, anything remotely complex that doesn't have an air of a conspiracy to it makes me at least as suspicious, kind of in the "which part of this story is untrue, and why" sense.
But hey, each to his own. If you choose to consider only authorized truths, that's your prerogative.
To be considered "proven", sure, maybe. But no such thing is needed to merely consider an idea. Look at all the "facts" that have widespread belief, look at all the "not exactly accurate" various organizations broadcast, that turn into very strongly believed "facts" in the public mind.
There's so much obvious lying going on nowadays, and so many perfectly reasonable concerns dismissed as conspiracy theories, that that phrase no longer has any negative connotations for me. In fact, anything remotely complex that doesn't have an air of a conspiracy to it makes me at least as suspicious, kind of in the "which part of this story is untrue, and why" sense.
But hey, each to his own. If you choose to consider only authorized truths, that's your prerogative.