7.1.2 SEE-I Model

State

Belief in the Illuminati seems to often come as a result of individuals’ paranoia and general suspicion regarding the government and society at large.

Elaborate

Over the years, the Illuminati has proved a fascinating concept to many and often causes people to exclude both their personal connections and authority figures. While the existence of the fabled society has long disappeared into history, it still holds an impressive sway in modern minds. The idea that everyone is out to get you can lead to a lonely life spent in isolation and fear of the rest of society. As is characteristic of conspiracies, those who believe in the Illuminati can develop tunnel vision, and only seek information that fits their cause. It may seem irrational from the surface, but this well-known concept deserves an objective evaluation.

Exemplify

• Historical Lens: The purpose of the original Illuminati was to create an isolated and skeptical secret society in order to eliminate all other possible sources of power. For example, William Mcllhany from Gale in Context states, “Voltaire bore an implacable hatred of all religions, of all monarchs, and of all morality derived from religious belief” (Mcllhany, 2009). With the purpose of creating an alienated society, the impact of paranoia and mistrust was very inclined. To maintain secrecy and prevent the leak of information, Adam Weishaupt, one of the top leaders, created a way to ensure security from these liabilities. William Mcllhany states, “He set up an elaborate spy network so that all members would constantly be checking on the loyalty of each other.” There were also secret police in the Illuminati who would kill anyone who tried to expose the society to authorities. Not only did the original members of the society intend to be isolated from the world, but crimes and harsh punishments were also carried out to prevent any kind of intrusion or outflow of information.

• Psychological Lens: It has been shown that beliefs and paranoia regarding these types of views are prone to cause a kind of feedback loop (Leonard and Philippe, 2021). One begins with feeling a certain distrust of the government and society and therefore is more likely to turn towards views of a conspiratorial nature in order to feel more in control of their situation. Naturally, once an individual has this kind of thinking cemented, other outlandish ideas seem more plausible and easy to accept. Thus, one may experience a continual expansion of superstition and fear regarding anything related to those concepts.

• Sociological Lens:  Belief in the Illuminati is strongly encouraged by anti-Semitic views. Krishnan states, “The Illuminati conspiracy is inherently anti-Semitic because a large part of the population of believers think that Jews control the world” (Krishnan, 2019). Furthermore, Krishnan explains that those within the Illuminati have severe distrust and skepticism towards other individuals and the government.

Illustrate

Belief in the Illuminati can be illustrated as being similar to thinking one’s house or place of dwelling is haunted. A person may start to hear strange noises or wonder why doors are open that were supposedly left closed. They start to compile a list of events that have happened recently, all of which may have reasonable explanations when considered one by one, but in the light of the collective seem to point to supernatural influence. The occasional creaking is perhaps just the house settling into the foundation, the unexplained moving of items is probably due to the user forgetting small, everyday changes that they themselves have made. Coincidentally, the more they feed into this idea of their dwelling being haunted, the more supposed evidence they find to support that claim. They begin having nightmares due to the increased stress and fear and attribute it to the supernatural entity plaguing them. They become more paranoid and startle at common occurrences like the doorbell ringing or floorboards creaking. In this way, a few initial assumptions create a feedback loop of increasingly violent consequences. This is often the case with conspiracies like the Illuminati. Only a few misplaced assumptions are needed to launch an already suspicious person into the throes of paranoia and hatred. Their ‘supernatural entity’ is a powerful secret organization, and their ‘haunted house’ is the whole world.