Illuminating the Illuminati

        The Illuminati was a real organization founded in Bavaria in the 1770s based on the idea of spreading enlightenment, as well as to oppose how much influence the church, particularly in Europe, had over governmental affairs. 

        Adam Weishaupt founded the organization as an alternative to the Freemasons, because he found them too exclusive and counter to modern ideas of merit and intellect. By the end of 1778, the organization had expanded significantly and drawn twenty-seven recruits. However, they reached a major decline in the 1780s in which they grasped for more power than was perhaps wise. Bavaria attempted to suppress the burgeoning organization, and was by most credible accounts successful. 

However, conspiracies regarding the Illuminati have spread significantly to believe that they control the world. Many organizations concurrently claim to be the true descendents of the original Bavarian Illuminati. I think that bears some resemblance to the way so many different countries throughout European history claimed to be the true descendents of the Roman Empire. 

As a result of several successful action franchises and spy thrillers like those of Dan Brown, the idea of the Illuminati has spread significantly. Some believe the Illuminati are an active secret organization operating in the shadows and pulling strings on governments throughout the world and political events throughout history. This fictionalized idea of the Illuminati is ruthless in pursuing their goals and has no qualms about disposing of anyone inconvenient or anyone who gets too close to the ‘truth’ of their dealings. 

Personally, I think a secret society must not be doing a great job if it has its own Wikipedia page. Furthermore, I think there’s a level of comfort that comes from imagining a boogeyman lurking in the shadows and working against us. An unplanned, randomized universe where unpredictable, alarming, and upsetting things like the JFK shooting or 9-11 is scary. The Illuminati as conspiracy theorists see it is comforting in the way a common enemy is comforting. Evil and a hunger for power, though unpleasant, are something we understand from a young age. Something else we’re taught early-on is the adage that “life isn’t fair”. Bad things happen, and sometimes there’s nothing you could do, but even more jarringly, sometimes there’s nothing anyone could’ve done.

A shadowy, manipulative society doesn’t seem on the surface like it would be remotely reassuring to think about. However, just as dark colors in a Renaissance painting make the lighter colors feel more vivid and intentional, the idea of an all-powerful Illuminati, in some ways, makes the world feel a little more ordered. I believe that’s why this conspiracy continues to spread and has lasted for centuries. 


Comments

  1. williams.dan7611 November 2025 at 12:24

    I thought I had responded to this last week, but perhaps my comments were not saved. I loved this blog post, and I agree that large secret societies are an oxymoron. People are just too disorganized to keep the secrets of any large organizations.

    ReplyDelete

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