Tag: secret societies

  • Wie Verschwörungstheorien funktionieren

    Die Illuminaten, stellvertretend für sämtliche sagenumwitterten Geheimbünde dieser Welt, waren schon von jeher zentraler Bestandteil so ziemlich jeder größeren Verschwörungstheorie. Einschlägige Quellen zu den abstrusesten Weltbildern gibt es sowohl im Internet als auch in gedruckter Form schon mehr als genug, weshalb wir uns in diesem Blog auf die wesentlichsten und bekanntesten Mythen um den Illuminatenorden […]

  • A Brief Encounter with Adam Weishaupt in 1804

    Relatively late in the research for the book Perfectibilists, I became aware of an short account from Henry Crabb Robinson, in his Diary, Reminiscences, and Correspondence, where he had gone to Gotha in 1804 and met with Adam Weishaupt. I hadn’t included this exchange in my own book (as it wasn’t readily accessible to me […]

  • A note about student societies in Germany.

    In the XVIII century a passion for secret societies affected many people including students. At that time there existed student orders or societies, that had many ways copied the pattern of Freemasonry. One of such unions, Mosellaner (Moselbund), was set up in Jena in 1746. Later they formed a fraternity, the Amizisten (Amicistenorden), with its […]

  • Introduction

    Dan Brown’s novels massive success might be explained by dexterous combination of reality and fiction, including the strongly sought-for secret societies topic. The theme of cynic individuals in possession of clandestine truths conspiring to cease power continues to fascinate the unsophisticated minds of Mr. Brown’s readers. However, Mr. Brown is only an author, he is […]