Denver International Airport CT: Should we Believe It?

Keeley’s Definition of a UCT

The criteria I will be using to evaluate the Denver International Airport conspiracy theory is Keeley's criteria for unwarranted conspiracy theories (UCTs). Keeley classifies a UCT as a theory that, by definition, we should not assent to. Therefore, if a theory meets all of the criteria Keeley sets for being a UCT, we should not believe it. The following are the characteristics of UCTs according to Keeley:

  1. A UCT is an explanation that runs counter to some received, official, or “obvious” account.
  2. The true intentions behind the conspiracy are invariably nefarious.
  3. UCTs typically seek to tie together seemingly unrelated events.
  4. As noted, the truths behind events explained by conspiracy theories are typically well-guarded secrets, even if the ultimate perpetrators are sometimes well-known public figures.
  5. The chief tool of the conspiracy theorist is what I shall call errant data.

If a theory meets all of these criteria, Keeley would consider it unwarranted and therefore, we should not believe it. It’s important to note, however, that Keeley makes exceptions to his rule. Both Watergate and the Iran-Contra affair fit these criteria and both of those theories turned out to be true. Does this mean Keeley is missing something? Or are there just exceptions to every rule? We will discuss this at the end.

The Denver International Airport Secret Bunker Conspiracy Theory

Due to spending that exceeded the budget, a building process that took longer than planned, creepy murals, and 5 supposed “buried” multistory buildings, conspiracy theories surrounding the Denver International Airport are numerous. I am going to focus on the theory that the airport is a secret base for the elite/New World Order.

The theory claims that there is a complex network of secret underground tunnels and bunkers that are meant to shelter the elite or be used as concentration camps during the New World Order. In an interview, the man in charge of the structure was asked about a secret bunker under the airport. He said that he could not answer the question, as he was sworn to secrecy and then compared the airport to a bomb shelter in Moscow where the Russians were ready to launch an attack on America.

There is also a claim that although the official story for Barack Obama flying into the Denver National Airport for a fundraiser when in reality he was flown in to take shelter from the Comet Elenin.

Applying Keeley’s Criteria

Let’s take a look at Keeley’s criteria for UCTs and if the bunker theory qualifies.
First of all, does the theory run counter to an official account? I would say yes because although the man in charge said it’s possible, the official story is that the airport is just an airport.

Second, are the true intentions nefarious? If you believe that the bunker is solely meant to protect important people, then perhaps not. However, the theory I’m looking at states that the bunkers will be transformed into concentration camps after the New World Order takes over, which definitely fits “nefarious intentions” criteria.

Third, does the theory attempt to tie together seemingly unrelated events? I would say yes, the theory attempts to tie together the death of the sculptor while he was building the blue horse statue outside the airport, events that took place during construction, and the president flying in for a fundraiser.

Forth, are the truths explained by the theory well-guarded secrets? The answer to this one is also yes because government officials would not want people to know where well-know officials are being kept as protection.

Lastly, is the chief tool errant data? Errant data are data that are unaccounted for or that contradict the official story. Keely claims errant data is central to UCTs as they seem to explain much more than the official account of the event does. This is suspicious because most explanations to occurrences do not explain all of the errant data. The theory in question does rely on quite a bit of errant data. Examples would be the creepy murals and the artwork in the tunnels.

Because each of the characteristics of UCTs is present in the Denver International Airport theory, I think that Keeley would argue that we should not believe the theory.

What Should We Think?

When asking whether or not we should believe this theory, I think it's important to look at what exactly is being claimed. Is it possible or even probable that they are secret bunkers all over with the purpose of protecting people like the president? Yes. Is it possible that the bunkers are also meant to be used in the future as concentration camps? Technically, but is it probable? No.

One difference between these two aspects of the theory (aside from the far-out nature of one) is that the first does not involve any nefarious intentions. The sole intention of the bunkers is to protect important people. The intentions of the agents are significantly more nefarious in the concentration camp part of the theory. Therefore, if you buy into Keeley's UCT criteria, then your cognitive attitude towards the "shelter for important people" part should be belief and your cognitive attitude toward the concentration camp part should be the disbelief.

Coady's Definition of a UCT (Madison Petty)

David Coady discusses criteria for conspiracy theories in the section titled “What is a Conspiracy Theory?” in Chapter 9 of his book “Conspiracy Theories: The Philosophical Debate”. Coady offers a three-part definition that goes as follows:
“A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of an historical event, in which conspiracy (i.e., agents acting secretly in concert) has a significant causal role. Furthermore, the conspiracy postulated by the proposed explanation must be a conspiracy to bring about the historical event which it purports to explain. Finally, the proposed explanation must conflict with an ‘official’ explanation of the same historical event.”

Coady in creating this theory was bumping up directly against Keeley’s theory - who was one of the only other philosophers writing about Conspiracy Theories at the time. This is why his third point - conflicting with official stories - is entirely at odds with what Keeley considers to be an unwarranted conspiracy theory. Coady is actually looking at the theories Keeley would claim are unwarranted and trying to find ways in which they aren’t - which is possible given how broad his definition is. What counts as historical? What counts as an official story? It is the vague nature of these terms that allows me to embark on what is possibly my greatest journey yet - the deconstruction of the conspiracy theory surround Snowpiecer and Willy Wonka.

Applying Coady’s Criteria

When talking about Denver International Airport it’s hard to describe it as any single “historical event” rather than an ongoing conspiracy about the lengthy build time and the mysteries that remain today. The theories about the airport aren’t centered on any one moment in time rather than a number of causes that span years. It also might be difficult to classify the Denver Internation Airport as historic - it’s an airport, one of the millions around the world. The notoriety surrounding it comes from the many theories about it, and an interesting position to put it in. Are there conspiracy theories because it’s so notable or is it notable due to the number of theories surrounding it?

If we do decide to name it as a historical event, thereby even qualifying for Coady’s criteria, we also need the discuss the small group of agents clause. The airport was no small undertaking and required hundreds of workers and thousands of hours of manpower. Additionally, there would be all the permits submitted to the city in order to build it, the funds procured by the government and taxes to fund it, and any involvement from the many airlines that would be working out of the airport. In short, there was no small number of people working on the airport.

Now, one could argue that the “small group of agents” was simply at the very head of its inception and construction and that the other workers were ignorant of what was going on, as seen in many military conspiracies involving large groups of soldiers. In fact, the “five underground bunkers” theory allegedly came from one of the construction workers who didn’t know what they were building the bunkers for or why they were buried. On of the popular potential agents for the airport are the Freemasons, due to a time capsule with a similar symbol, the “ruling elite” of wealthy industrialists around the world, or an Illuminati like group called the “New World Order.” These could constitute as small groups of agents working in secret if we consider small when compared to the rest of the workers on the project as opposed to thinking in groups on tens.

So now we come to the final criteria: whether it conflicts with the official story. The Denver Internation Airport has never supported theories about secret bunkers or tunnels, but CEO of Fentress Architects, in charge of construction, only replied he was sworn to secrecy when asked about underground tunnels.

Recently, Denver Internation has leaned into the conspiracy theories as a marketing ploy, putting up statues of a talking gargoyle to joke about the illuminate this past March and adding construction signs that joke about “remodeling the lizard people’s lairs” in September of 2018. [1]

Obviously, the airport is taking the conspiracy theories as a joke but leaning into the hype has muddied the waters of what’s official and what’s not.

Applying Our Own Criteria

So Denver Internation is beyond crazy, even disregarding the theories. It goes above and beyond the template for airports with its stage murals and demonic horse and you don’t need to believe in the Illuminati to see that. Do I believe it’s hiding underground bunkers?

I think it’s very possible that a number of rich, anonymous donors helped fund the massive airport in order to create their own little getaway. Rich people have done weirder things in the past.

I don’t think it’s lizard people or the Illuminati or Freemasons, it’s just ugly architecture and some government work gone wrong that Denver International is capitalizing on right now with the slick media campaign. Does that mean I’ll ever book a flight through there? Of course not, I’m not crazy.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License