Realizing this might be almighty threadomancy, here's my 2 cents: In the general sense, a conspiracy is a gathering of 2 or more individuals covertly working together in order to realize their illegal goals. I'm not saying all illegal goals are illegit goals: many resistance-fighters have to work covertly in order to avoid capture. However, in the specific sense, 'conspiracy' to me means the working together of people within an institution or government, working together in such a way as to avoid detaction of their illegal (as well as illegit) goals, executing actions which by their nature alone are only beneficial to this small group. In other words, a conspiracy is a small group breaking rules of law as well as making laws in order to further their own plans from which they themselves will benefit, and the majority of the world will not. Should I find more nuance, I will adjust my statement.
Thanks for taking the time to reply! I too have been away for many moons. No further nuance necessary. In fact, you provided the definition I was looking for when I started this thread. I guess I was attempting to gauge the community's barometer on these kinds of issues. To far too many people, Conspiracy has come to mean 'the nutty ideas that mental cases come up with in their fantasy lands' and define it openly as such. Glad you grasp the textbook definition, as that will allow a more open and fluid understanding of discussions that can and do occur in the conspiracy realm. Remember: it is not necessary to accept an idea before you discuss it.