Adam Weishaupt: biography, books, interesting facts

Today we’ll talk about such a famous philosopher, politician and public figure as Adam Weishaupt. What is this man famous for? What is known about his life? What is the essence of the philosophy of Adam Weishaupt? The answer to these and other questions can be found in our material.

Philosopher Adam Weishaupt - biography and photo

Weishaupt was born on February 6, 1748 in the German town of Ingolstadt. A boy was born in the family of a professor of law. In his youth, he was a student at a local gymnasium. At the age of 7, Adam Weishaupt lost his father. After the sudden death of the only breadwinner, the guy fell into the care of his stepfather - Baron Ikstaff. It was he who introduced the young man to the works of the great philosophers with whom his personal library was full.

Upon reaching adulthood, Adam Weishaupt was already distinguished by outstanding encyclopedic knowledge, which favorably distinguished him from his peers. Thanks to his education, the guy managed to enter the University of Ingolstadt without any problems. Here our hero was engaged in the comprehension of philosophy, studied law, political and social sciences. In 1768, after graduation, Adam Weishaupt, whose biography is considered in our material, was awarded a doctorate in philosophy. A few years later he acquires the title of professor of law.

Creation of the Order of the Illuminati

In the spring of 1776, the philosopher Adam Weishaupt, whose photo can be seen in our article, decided to create and organize his own secret society. The official goal was the fight against ignorance and the influence of religious beliefs on the formation of society. Initially, the Illuminati called themselves members of the Union of Cultivators.

Parallel to the foundation of the order, the philosopher Adam Weishaupt began to visit the Masonic lodge in the city of Munich. Later, influential members joined the Illuminati ranks. Their authority, wealth and power allowed the newly formed secret society led by Weishaupt to gain serious influence in numerous European countries.

The Illuminati believed that human nature is not so vicious. According to members of the organization, building thinking on ancient, long-obsolete doctrines spoils people. Nevertheless, even for a humble authority and a religious person, salvation through a critical assessment of all things, preservation of sober reason, and also mastery of scientific knowledge are always possible. In other words, the Illuminati recognized the desire for enlightenment as the only true way.

Society Objectives

As for the goals of the Order of the Illuminati, they were formed by Weishaupt quite categorically:

The cessation of ethnic hatred, conflicts on racial, cultural, ideological, religious grounds.
The complete eradication of the monarchist system, the elimination of other forms of state power aimed at enslaving and oppressing people.
Destruction of property that is in the sole possession of representatives of the ruling elite.

What the Illuminati philosophy was based on

Candidates for the organization were convinced that truth does not exist. The world is unchanged due to the existence of an unfair social system, where powerful people push around unenlightened. Despite this, the use of violent methods to change existing provisions in society is unacceptable. Such tactics are flawed and inevitably lead to the triumph of chaos.

True Illuminati fight to bring wisdom to the afflicted and oppressed. Their main goal is to multiply the faithful defenders of the ideas of complete freedom from any prejudice, to silently unite people with all their heart and soul.

Degrees of initiation

Candidates for joining the Order of the Illuminati were subject to special requirements. Weishaupt and his followers developed special degrees that determined the status of individual members in the organization:

A preparatory notebook is the initial degree of initiation. Young people from 16 to 25 years old who wanted to join the order and fully shared the views of its supporters were selected here. First of all, information about new candidates to the community was secretly collected. The loyal agents of the Illuminati obtained information on the strengths and weaknesses of such people, their inclinations and preferences. They also took into account the family of potential novices, their close friends and enemies. Reports on each candidate for the order were provided to the head of the Illuminati weekly.
Novice - before entering a secret community, young people who fell under this degree of initiation were required to pass numerous tests. In everyday life, members of the secret order modeled situations that allowed novices to be tested for loyalty and to verify the strengths of their personality.
Minerval is a member of the order that is obliged to swear allegiance to the organization, to renounce actions that carry the danger of destroying the Illuminati.
Junior Illuminati - the degree of initiation dedicated to teaching the skill of influencing the consciousness of people. Minervals became original experimental here.
The senior Illuminati is a person who is faithful to the traditions of the order, able to find its loyal followers and promote the teachings of the community to the masses.
The priest is a member of the organization that clearly realized the need to create a new social system, where all people are a single family.
The magician is a representative of the hierarchical top of the order, which has leverage over the power system in the state, has the ability to change legislation to protect the rights of the oppressed, uneducated and poor.

Order Liquidation

By 1780, the secret community totaled several thousand followers. The organization consisted mainly of notable persons. Soon, ideological discord arose in the order, initiated by one of the most influential people in Germany - Baron von Knigge. He was supported by the large landowner Karl Theodor. It was on the territories belonging to him that the main Illuminati communities were concentrated. Represented members of the community were the first to decide to leave his ranks and began to pursue the remaining apologists of the order.

In 1784, Baron von Knigge turned to the Bavarian government with a proposal to ban the Illuminati. In the end, the order was dissolved, and its creator and ideological leader - Adam Weishaupt had to go on the run. The philosopher went to the city of Regensburg, which did not fall under Bavarian jurisdiction. Here he found support in the face of a rich, influential man named Ernst of Altenburg, who bore the title of Duke of Gotha. The latter not only granted the former Illuminati leader asylum in his own possessions, but also granted a high rank and provided material maintenance. It was on the estate of the Duke of Altenburg that the philosopher wrote most of his literary works.

Over time, the order gradually revived its activities. But now the selection criteria for a secret organization have become more stringent. A lot of myths have sprung up around the community. The Illuminati began to ascribe the idea of a Masonic conspiracy of universal proportions, as well as the practice of all kinds of magical and mystical rituals.

As for the other Illuminati, who were also persecuted after the Bavarian government officially banned the order, the former “brothers” devoted their lives to cultural, scientific and social initiatives. Many members of the secret organization founded their own political and philosophical movements, among which it is worth noting such teachings as socialism, anarchism, Marxism, Labor.