Conspiratorial thinking deals with conspiracy theories. It revolves around narratives that address the discrepancy between appearance and reality, between surface and truth. So far, there have mostly been only popular scientific publications on this topic, which neither approach it without bias nor capture its full cultural complexity. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present an analysis that meets scientific criteria. Conspiracy theories distrust the appearance of the surface. They suspect a conspiratorial activity behind it. Historically, two cultural currents must be distinguished: demonological and conspiratorial thinking. Demonological conspiracy theories argue - with regard to their own social structure - centrifugally, that is, outward: it is the demons and socially weak individuals, the outsiders.