Illuminati

Article summary

, as seen on the US $1 bill, has been perceived by some to be evidence of a conspiracy linking the Founding Fathers of the United States to the Illuminati. The Illuminati ( ; plural of Latin , 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 May 1776 in the Electorate of Bavaria. The society's stated goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power by monarchs. "The order of the day", they wrote in their general statutes, "is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them." The Illuminati—along with Freemasonry and other secret societies—were outlawed through edict by Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, with the encouragement of the Catholic Church, in 1784, 1785, 1787 and 1790. During subsequent years, the group was generally vilified by conservative and religious critics, who claimed that the Illuminati continued underground and were responsible for the French Revolution. It attracted literary men such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder and the reigning Duke of Gotha and of Weimar.…

Key claims

1. date of foundation: 1776 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of foundation: 1779-03-21 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. members: 27 members — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. members: 61 members — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. publication date: 1787 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. publication date: 1802 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. students: 300 members — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of foundation is "1776". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of foundation is "1779-03-21". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the members is "27 members". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the members is "61 members". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the publication date is "1787". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the publication date is "1802". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the students is "300 members". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
10. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1374875024