Exploring Conspiracy Theories of the Illuminati in Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea’s The Illuminatus! Trilogy

Abstract

Famous American authors Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Joseph Shea are considered to be one of the best conspiracy thriller fiction writers. Both were impressed by conspiracy theories. Both have explored conspiracy theories about secret societies like the Assassins, Knights Templars, Freemasons, the Illuminati, and conspiracy theories about depopulation agendas, cults, anti-Semitism, discordianism, New World Order, famous assassinations and world domination plans in The Illuminatus! Trilogy (1975). Terms like conspiracy theories, secret societies, Freemasons, and the Illuminati, Baphomet, Assassins, and their symbols like pyramids, the number 666, the All- Seeing Eye or one eye symbolism, Satanic or Devil worship are used in movies, cartoons, reality shows, literature, music and popular culture. Secret societies have become one of the most attention seeking topics for fiction writers, and mostly the conspiracy thriller fiction writers like Dan Brown, Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea have explored them in their works. Conspiracy theories have become a new burning topic of debate and research for psychologists, social science and literary researchers. The 2009 movie Angels and Demons based on the same titled novel by Dan Brown and famous conspiracy theorist David Icke’s books and videos have also done a spurious publicity of this secret society. So it is necessary to know what this Illuminati is. This paper is focused on the conspiracy theories and questions about the existence of the Illuminati.