pp. 1-27 Summary and Analysis

Thinking About the Unthinkable — The author, Robert Anton Wilson begins studying the legend of the Bavarian Illuminati in about 1963. The Illuminati are said to be a secret conspiracy out to run the world. Along with Robert J. Shea, the author writes a book called Illuminatus! which is a satire about the secret Illuminati conspiracy. This leads the author into a much wider investigation of drugs, UFOs and other phenomena.

The Illuminati are said to be begun by Dr. Adam Weishaupt in Bavaria in 1776. The Illuminati Conspiracy involves hundreds of years of plots and assassinations, and is connected to ancient Greek Gnostic cults. In the United States, there is anti-Illuminati agitation, saying that the Illuminati control the Freemasons. Some theorists connect the Illuminati to the Jewish people, while others connect them to the Nazis. Later, the author R.A...