Who was the real man behind history's most infamous secret society? In this episode, we explore the life of Adam Weishaupt, the German philosopher and law professor who founded the Bavarian Illuminati on May 1, 1776.
Born in Ingolstadt in 1748, Weishaupt was an orphan raised by a rationalist godfather and educated by Jesuits before becoming a professor of canon law himself. We discuss how he adopted the code name "Brother Spartacus" and utilized the structure of Freemasonry to recruit members for his own "quasi-masonic society". We also examine his controversial goals: to liberate humans from religious bondage, fight corruption, and perfect human nature through radical rationalism.
Tune in to learn about:
• The Rise: How Weishaupt created a network of spies and counter-spies to "dispel the clouds of superstition".
• The Fall: The aggressive banning of the society by the Elector of Bavaria in 1784, which cost Weishaupt his university position and forced him into exile.
• The Legacy: Why Thomas Jefferson viewed him as an "enthusiastic Philanthropist," while critics like John Robison branded him a "human devil" bent on destruction.
Join us as we separate the man from the modern myth, looking at how a utopian philosopher became the central figure of 21st-century conspiracy thinking.
